Exclusive | With tips from Shane Warne and a breakthrough IPL 2019, Shreyas Gopal hopes to emulate an iota of the Australian great

When Rajasthan Royals started their IPL 2019 campaign, all the hoo-hah was about the return of Steve Smith and the potential audition for Jofra Archer for a place in England's 2019 World Cup campaign. But, amidst all that, emerged a quiet Kannadiga, who quietly went about his business and picked up 20 wickets and as their campaign ended, was perhaps the Pink City's biggest 'find'.

This is the story of Shreyas Gopal. A player, who has been the backbone of Karnataka cricket over the last couple of years but when it came to the Indian Premier League, he would quietly be suppressed among the bigger stars and fancier names. But, not anymore. Gopal's 2019 season perhaps was what dreams are made of and come the end of the season, he has taken a massive stride towards it.

20 wickets from 14 games at an economy of 7.22 would make any bowler proud and in the era of wrist-spinners, it will make people sit down and take notice. It has been a dream season for the 25-year-old and why wouldn't it be, when you have the best in the business  to guide you along. 

An inspiration and a confidant, Gopal's chat with Shane Warne seems to have done the trick for the leggie and well set him on his way to emulate a tiny bit of the magician from Victoria.

"We keep in touch with him [Warne] and there are loads of fine-tunings he has told me about so that I can come out as a better person and a better cricketer next year. There are a few things he has told me and I am hoping to work on it and hopefully, I can get anywhere close to what he did and said and be 15 or 20 per cent of the bowler Shane Warne was, I'd be happy at the end of my career," Gopal told indiatvnews.com in an exclusive telephonic chat when asked about Warne's influence.

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