The world's a stage and Shane Warne will remain one of its greatest players

All the world’s a stage,

And all the men and women merely players,

They have their exits and entrances,

And one man in his time plays many parts

Centuries ago, the great English poet William Shakespeare had provided people with a different perspective – a perspective on how life was to be lived and how each stage acted as a precursor to what was to come.

In almost all walks of life, his wisdom has rung true, meaning that cricket – a sport the United Kingdom taught to the rest of the world (according to legend, obviously), was bound to be gripped by the same logic.

Over the years, there have been countless cricketers who have etched themselves into folklore. In the 1930s and 1940s, a certain Sir Donald Bradman ruled the roost. A few years later, the West Indies asserted themselves as the dominant cricketing force on the planet.

Then, India decided to leave their imprint on the game, before Australia roared back to snatch away all possible cricketing accolades. In between, too, there were stellar performances – both by individuals and by collective units.

But after each monumental display, there was someone waiting to write the next chapter in that particular story, meaning that no one has really been able to establish immortality within the sport.

Yet, as it almost always happens in life, there is always space for a glorious aberration – an aberration many felt could never materialize but one that everyone secretly wants to come to fruition. It could be a different approach, a world-beating individual or it could be an entity. In cricket, that accolade was perhaps reserved for Shane Warne.

On Friday, news broke that Warne, arguably the greatest bowler to have ever graced the game, had tragically passed away. The news, as expected, took everyone in the cricketing community aback. Not just because of the suddenness of it all, but also because cricket, in Warne, had lost one of its greatest characters – someone who lived a larger-than-life lifestyle and was emblematic of how a genius works on the field.

At this stage, it is perhaps not advisable to harp about the numbers Warne produced because, well, almost everyone knows what he did when he was donning the Baggy Green. What’s more important, though, is to understand how the cricketing fraternity will be poorer in his absence. And, of course, how it might never be able to recreate a character like him.

For millions of people, Warne was the gold-standard, as far as spin-bowling was concerned. Muttiah Muralitharan – one of the leg-spinner's greatest contemporaries, was picking as many wickets as the Australian. However, his unorthodox action and method meant that many didn’t harbor aspirations of emulating his style of bowling.

With the Australian, though, things were a lot different. He seemed the boy next door – a boy who could get into trouble due to his behaviour but someone who frequently conjured magic, making them gape in awe and making their jaws drop simultaneously.

For those born in the 1990s, Warne was the bowler they wanted to copy. His action didn’t involve many idiosyncrasies and at the cost of sounding stupid, seemed too simple. So simple that people thought even they could bowl leg-spin as long as they did what Warne did. But no one, not even his greatest rivals, did what he did.

For those born a little later, their greatest memory of Warne would be his attention to detail and his exemplary leadership during the IPL. Post his IPL stint, he successfully evolved into a commentator you’d want to listen to more often than not.

People, though, often forget that he was the one who put the Rajasthan Royals on the IPL roadmap, courtesy of that triumph in the inaugural season. He also made people believe that the whole needs to be greater than the sum of its parts. And, in T20 cricket, that is all that matters.

In Test cricket, Warne was almost incomparable. He conquered every land he surveyed and even when he wasn’t at his best, he never let the opposition know that was the case. He was a fierce competitor and also seemed a step ahead of the batter – a virtue not many are blessed with, and certainly a quality not many can keep recreating for as long as he did.

Off the field, Warne, like countless celebrities before and after him, wasn’t devoid of controversy. At times, it felt like sagas followed the leg-spinner wherever he went.

From his perspective, however, he was just living his life the way he wanted to. It was bubbly, it was cheerful, it was demonstrative, it was ebullient, it was frantic (at times) but most tellingly, it was almost always genius – genius you knew you were very fortunate to witness.

His enthusiasm for the game didn’t dip even after he hung up his playing boots. Warne even threw his hat into the ring to become England’s next head coach. That, by the way, was about a fortnight ago, thereby putting life into perspective.

Warne’s demise hasn’t just shocked the cricketing community to its core. It has left a massive and gaping void – a void that can probably never be filled. It is, at the cost of sounding melodramatic, a moment to take a deep breath, understand how fortunate we are to be living in this world and just pause.

Warne, though, wouldn’t have had it that way. If anything, he would have wanted his fans and his admirers to celebrate his career as if there is no tomorrow. Today is where the thrill is, and being in the present is all that matters.

For millions who adore him, however, it isn’t that easy. The mere thought of not being able to listen in to his in-depth analysis, his banter on air, his out-of-the box solutions is, quite simply put, heartbreaking. But Warne has, to his credit, taught us to just believe that things will be alright, even when they aren’t.

Shane Warne leaves behind a great legacy

And that, more than anything else, could be his greatest legacy. Warne, because he was a mere mortal, had his ups and downs. Some might say he didn’t fulfill his true potential as a cricketer too. But he never abandoned his beliefs and tried to be someone else. He was Shane Warne and if you didn’t like him at first, he would make sure you were endeared to him after a brief period.

Centuries ago, William Shakespeare had said that the world’s a stage and that the men and women are mere actors. There is plenty of truth in it too. Yet, you can’t help but argue that Warne has perhaps played a slightly bigger role than some of the others.

He enjoyed a remarkable entrance, his greatest crests were a sight to behold and he certainly knew how to bask in his unmatchable glory. And now that his exit is slowly capturing us, it is vital we understand that he, despite being a mere mortal, was as close to achieving immortality as any other cricketer.

He was a character cricket was fortunate to have stumbled upon. He is a character cricket would have loved to have had today. And, he will always remain a character whose absence has made this sport poorer.

Rest in peace, Shane, you did pretty good here!