Rohit needs right attitude to excel: Warne

Spin legend Shane Warne is impressed by Rohit Sharma's talent and says the young Mumbai batsman can become one of India's greatest cricketers if he plays the sport with the right attitude.

"Rohit Sharma has got all the talent in the world, if he could just get his mind right and get his attitude right. If his one thought was 'I want to become the best cricketer I possibly can'. Every morning he woke up and try and talk to Sachin and ask him 'Sir, if I could have lunch or dinner'," Warne said.

The former Australian spinner said Sharma should ask Tendulkar questions like 'how do you think about batting? how do you approach it in these conditions?'

"Every minute of the day until Sachin says, 'Mate can I have five minutes break?' Be a pester to him," Warne suggested to Sharma.

"He could be a match-winner, world beater and one of the best Indian cricketers ever, he has got that much talent," Warne said of the Mumbai batsman who has showed enough glimpses of talent but is struggling for consistency.

Warne was also impressed by Virat Kohli in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

"I saw Kohli in the first year and thought there is something about the kid. He could play the short ball well. But there are not too many young cricketers in the world that has played just couple of games and can play with so much comfort. You have to get into stride first," Warne said.

According to Warne, the IPL has given young players the opportunity to mix with international players, to experience playing in front of big crowd.

The sharp cricket brain that he has, Warne is one of the greatest Aussie cricketers not to have led the country, but he has no regrets.

"No, not at all. I was very lucky to play under a couple of good captains. Allan Border was fantastic when I first started and Mark Taylor was probably the best captain I have played under. His communication and I thought his tactics," Warne told a TV channel.

Asked what one looks for in a firm leader, Warne said, "I think you look for someone who is going to back you. Someone who says you are the man, we need you. You perform and we will win. Someone who always back you, no matter what. I think their communication, their honesty."

There was a time when the feeling was that Warne the person came in the way of becoming Warne the captain.

"I think captaincy seems to bring out the best in me. If I didn't get the opportunities then so be it. I made poor calls and some poor choices. So they were probably right in the way they were thinking saying 'it's too much of a risk, anything could happen in that stage of my life.

"I understand that I don't regret it one bit. I think looking back it would have been nice to have the opportunity but you can't do anything about it. So I don't spend any time, I don't sit and wonder 'I wish had the opportunity'.

Warne said Rajasthan Royals are lucky to have players like Rahul Dravid and Graeme Smith this year.

"I love playing with Rahul, I really have admired him as a player for a long time. I knew him pretty well not really well. And I really enjoyed playing with him this year. He is just such a class act. India have been so lucky. I watch him prepare, I watch him talk to the younger players. He has been great to bounce a few ideas off as well," Warne said.

Despite announcing his retirement from the IPL, the Aussie said he will keep coming to India.

"I will be coming back here lot of times. I do enjoy coming here. I am going to miss the IPL that's for sure but life goes on."

Warne felt that Rajasthan Royals' achievement in the first IPL is something the state should be proud of.

"You know to achieve what we did in the first year with the Royals, I think all of Rajasthan would be pretty proud of. I think the squad we had and the players we had compared to everybody else and then to go off and win it was.

"As captain and coach of that, I had the faith of owners to put me as captain-coach, and to create an environment which is how we always thought cricket should be played and I suppose it was justified in a certain way because we won it. And we actually got the same spirit in the group this year but now we have got a tough finish to go," Warne said.