Warne leads revenge of the oldies

Thursday's humdinger between Rajasthan and Kolkata in the IPL would have sparked off an existential crisis in John Buchanan: Does a team really need multiple captains as he has been insisting or, as Shane Warne was to prove most magnificently, one captain who knows his business well enough?

When they shared the same Australian dressing room, Buchanan and Warne were hardly ever on the same page. They are totally dissimilar personalities, and the leg spin maestro has been quick to lampoon his former coach's arguments in favour of multiple captains. Buchanan, of course, could counter-argue, and with justification, that Warne is a bad example because he is such a rarity.

The multiple captains theory, however, must be abandoned here because it has festered too long, and in many ways is no longer pertinent because the Kolkata team has put Brendon McCullum in charge for the entire season. My personal opinion is steeped in orthodoxy, but it must also be accepted that when sports teams become private enterprises, the owner's writ must run large.

That said, Warne's leadership genius must be acknowledged and applauded. What makes for a brilliant captain is not easily defined. Superb man-management skills and strong cricketing skills are two obvious virtues, fine tactical sense and a strong gut are two terrific enhancements. That makes for a four-in-one personality, which is quite like what Buchanan wants, except that in this case it is vested in one man.

After a defeat in the opening match, one thought that Warne would be chastened, perhaps even accept that last year's triumph may not be easy to replicate and would be a little tempered. It must seem as extraordinary that he was willing to take even more risks as the circumstances got more daunting.

To defend a total of 150 on an easy-paced pitch was not easy, especially when only six runs were needed in the final over and with Ganguly batting brilliantly. To pull the game back from that situation required strong imagination and nerves. More remarkably, for the Super Over contest he did not opt for either his most experienced bowler (himself) or his most experienced batsman (Graeme Smith), but choose rookie Kamran Khan and the manic hitter Yusuf Pathan to pull off a sensational win.

But it not just maverick thinking that makes Warne different. He has a way with his players that make them swear by him, and this is manifest in his demonstrativeness on the field. The manner in which he handled Kamran Khan was exemplary. One could almost sense that the young fast bowler was willing to lay down his life for his captain though he may not have understood a word of his Aussie twang.

There is always the possibility that Warne has been extremely lucky, but surely a goodleader is known by the number of times that he can help his team come out on top in excruciating situations. Warne's terrific record in adverse situations, and without great star power to back him up, marks him out as exceptional.

Warne's captaincy - as well as his bowling - in a sense, marks the 'revenge of the oldies' in the first week of the IPL. Despite the sizzling performances of youngsters like A B De Villiers, Yusuf Pathan, Dilshan, RP Singh, Fidel Edwards and Lasith Malinga, the veterans have hogged the limelight.

Apart from Warne himself, two other retired Aussies - Adam Gilchrist and Matt Hayden have batted like 20-somethings, while Muralitharan's magic seems unfazed. Two retired Indians, Anil Kumble and Sourav Ganguly have been in very good nick, as has Sachin Tendulkar in the only match he has played yet. Perhaps most impressive has been the much-maligned Rahul Dravid, easily the best batsman in the tournament.

What explains this? Conditions in South Africa have been varied, sometimes difficult, which makes experience invaluable. Moreover, all these players have also learnt to adapt, knowing that survival depends on success. As the saying goes, "in youth you learn, with age you understand."