Hi all, I am Kiran. I'm a diehard fan of Rajasthan Royals, who stays in Mumbai, and this is my first blog article on the RR site. Despite being a typical Mumbaikar and an avid fan of Sachin Tendulkar, I choose to support Rajasthan Royals. The liking that began just because of legendary skipper Shane Warne over a period of time has turned into craze for the Royals. I admire many things about the team, including their spirit and values. Plus, there is always an element of surprise associated with the Royals.

I have spoken a lot about myself and the title of this article proudly proclaims 'The Warrior King'. At this point, readers may be wondering who is the king I am referring to - this is none other than our beloved Johan Botha. The rise of Botha is very interesting. The story goes like this: Botha started out as a medium pacer till Mickey Arthur, the former South African Coach stepped in saying, "Mate, why don't you try off-spin" (this is quite similar to how Dennis Lillee broke Tendulkar's aspirations of being a fast bowler). Needless to say, the rest is history! From here on began Botha's journey as a player. He made his ODI debut against India in 2005. Being a South African spinner, Botha was always up against it but to his credit he was always on the button and soon booked a permanent position in South Africa's limited-overs squad. However, breaking into a strong South African test match set-up proved difficult for him but he kept trying and represented the Proteas at every given opportunity.

His ODI performances were so good that when the time came, the selectors chose him as a replacement for Graeme Smith as the Captain of South Africa's limited-overs squad. This was a big moment for him since the team comprised of South African legends like Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher, both much senior to Botha. The opportunity to prove his inclusion came with an imposing challenge. Botha's first assignment as the full-time captain of the team came against Australia in the opposing team's home country. The first T20 game was inauspicious, to say the least, as David Warner carted the Proteas bowling to win the game for the Aussies. The second T20 game was for me the turning point of the tournament. After South Africa set Australia a moderate target, Johan, despite being a spinner, took the ball in his hands to bowl the first over against a rampaging David Warner. His move clearly demonstrated that he is a captain who would take the bull by its horns. This sent a clear message that here is a captain who is supremely confident in his ability and this confidence immediately rubbed off on the entire team. It is interesting to know that South Africa which started the ODIs as the weaker of the two teams trounced the in-form Aussies 4-1!

Johan Botha's most outstanding feature is that he signifies an unbelievable fighting spirit. Some people are naturally talented yet fail to do justice to their talents and here is a guy who is only moderately talented but with a big heart and incredible discipline and determination manages to be the man for all seasons. Over the years, he has emerged as a true warrior overcoming big hurdles. His 'doosra' was banned but this did not deter him and he bounced back so strongly that now he commands a position in the Proteas test team sans the doosra. That is why I call Botha a true warrior. Nothing deters him. Ironical but true that in the CLT20, Botha will captain a team named The Warriors.

This is why he is aptly suited for the title - The Warrior King!