Shane Warne compares Yusuf Pathan to Symonds

Cape Town: The biggest compliment for all-rounder Yusuf Pathan came from his Rajasthan Royals skipper Shane Warne when he compared the hard-hitting Indian to Aussie all-rounder Andrew Symonds for his on-field exploit.

"Yusuf Pathan was a dynamite last year, he just destroys medium-pace and spin bowling. He and Andrew Symonds are two of the cleanest hitters I've ever seen," said Warne.

Warne, who was all praise for rookie Indian fast bowler Kamran Khan, who bowled just one over against Cape Cobras accounting for Justin Ontong's wicket with a vicious yorker in a warm-up on Saturday, alongside India player Ravindra Jadeja, said the team was on the verge of finalising a nickname for Khan, a woodcutter's son from Azamgarh in North India.

"We've got one young player who's going to be very interesting," said Warne.

"We're tossing up now what his nickname is going to be, Wild Thing or Tornado, something like that. Kamran Khan is a young kid, a left-armer, a slinger, he doesn't speak much English at the moment. He's a tiny little guy but he bowls 140 plus," he added.

"Another guy to look out for is Ravindra Jadeja. He played last year, did enough but he's had another year of experience," he said about the Saurashtra player, who came into prominance with his performances in the first edition of the IPL.

Admitting that South African skipper Graeme Smith would be very important to his plan of retaining the IPL, Warne said, Smith would be another captain to bounce new ideas.

"Smith is also very important to my plans for a lot of reasons. One is that he's another captain to bounce ideas off," Warne said.

"When I am bowling, he's someone to keep an eye on the field. When I am talking to a bowler he's making sure the best fielders are in the right spots," he added.

"I think he (Smith) enjoys the IPL as well, just having the opportunity and the freedom to go out and bat without the responsibility of anything else. For us, being in South Africa and having the captain of South Africa in our side is a huge advantage," Warne pointed out.

thatsCricket (With Inputs From Agencies)