Don’t say David Warner did not warn!
NEW DELHI: A year back in the wake of the ‘sandpaper gate’, it was difficult to even think of David Warner in Australia colours. In Sydney, even those who weren’t a fan of him would have been moved watching Warner sob in front of cameras, wondering if he would ever get to wear the Baggy Green again. Even as Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft were quietly going about their community service work that often surfaced on social media, Warner was not seen in those. It was as if the whole world had shut the door on a player whose bulldog spirit on the field was the pride of Australia and the envy of other teams.
his seventh fifty of the season,
against CSK on Tuesday |
d sampathkumar
Even as Warner’s comeback to the Australian side is complete, the manner in which he has fought his way back has been nothing but phenomenal. For a cricketer who has been only featuring in T20s, that too without enough returns, IPL came at a time when Australia were still contemplating whether to take the 32-year-old to the World Cup or not.
After starting the tournament on a resounding note, the tag of consistency that once made Warner one of the best openers in the IPL is once again back on his neck. Following his 45-ball 57 against Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday, which helped Sunrisers Hyderabad post a total of 175/3, the Australian is sitting comfortably on top of the list of run-scorers with 574 runs at an incredible average of 71.75.
On Tuesday, despite losing Jonny Bairstow early — with whom he averaged 87.33 for the opening wicket this season, which is the highest for any pair this season and fifth best overall — the manner in which Warner adjusted his game to the pitch at MA Chidambaram Stadium spoke about his prowess. It is a venue where visiting batsmen struggle to get used to the slowness of the surface. But not Warner. For a player who has built his game on power-hitting and boundaries, one striking quality that stands out is his running between the wickets. Including his innings on Tuesday, the southpaw has ran 51 twos this season. KL Rahul is the next best on this count with 28.
It is one of the reasons why Warner has been successful in the IPL. He has crossed 500 in each of the five seasons he has featured in and in 2017 when Virat Kohli made headlines with 973 runs, Warner’s 848 won Hyderabad the title. For a player, who has been denied a leadership role in Australia, the familiar surroundings of Sunrisers seems to have been a blessing just before the World Cup. Last season, despite the IPL suspending him for a year, Warner was actively involved in group chats on WhatsApp. This season with Kane Williamson missing a few matches, Warner has been the rock that Bhuvneshwar Kumar has fallen back on in the field. Perhaps, the feeling of being wanted has helped Warner rediscover his mojo after spending a year without knowing what the future would hold.
With confidence high, Warner made a mockery of Chennai spinners — who tend to call the shots at the venue. He showed Manish Pandey the way by taking on Harbhajan Singh first up and gave the same treatment to Ravindra Jadeja and Imran Tahir. Visiting teams have often found it tough to shift gears here, but with Warner around, Hyderabad found a way as Chennai spinners went for 110 runs in 12 overs — the most they have conceded at the venue this season.