Shane Warne names Virat Kohli as the exception in "good" Indian spin players

Indian batsmen have traditionally been excellent players of spin bowling, but over the last few years, they have struggled to score runs against the spinners. In 2015, India prepared turning tracks against South Africa, but their own batsmen failed to score runs on those wickets. Similarly, in the first Test of the series against Australia, earlier this year, Steve O’ Keefe spun the web around and took 12 wickets in the match to hand India a colossal 333-run defeat. Warne insisted that this Indian team doesn’t have the talent to play spin bowlers as efficiently as their predecessors. 

“This Indian team no longer has the best batsmen against spin bowling, barring Kohli. They are still very good but certainly not the best anymore. Don't ever stop appreciating how good Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag were. That's why I would rather bowl at the current Indian team,” Warne told India Today.

T20 cricket has caught the imagination of cricket fans around the world, sending the fortunes of the other two versions into jeopardy. But Warne, a legend in the Test format himself, still feels that the real challenge lies in playing the longest format of the game. 

“Test cricket is still the ultimate for any cricketer. Make as much money as you can from playing in T20 leagues around the world but make sure you perform in Test cricket. You need to test yourself against the best in the business.

“The best players in the world should be playing Test cricket. Someone like AB de Villiers, who wants to take a break from Tests, has to be playing the longest format,” he said.

The late 1990s and early 2000s marked Australian dominance in world cricket during which the team won three consecutive world cups under the leadership of Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting. Their fearsome pace battery and destructive batting line-up made them the team to beat on the international stage. Warne, who was one of the central figures of the dominance, feels that it was one memorable highlight of his 15-year-long career.

“Playing in an Australian team which was dominant home and abroad, beating other teams everywhere in the world was one of the highlights of my career. I don't think there is a clear No. 1 team in the world right now. There are a lot of teams which are equally good. Home teams are winning more matches now,” he concluded.