On Monday night, David Warner won back-to-back Allan Border Medals and was named One Day International Player of the Year.
Australia’s slam-bang opening batsman said he will use his difficulties during last year’s tour of Sri Lanka to help adopt the correct approach on the forthcoming tour of India, starting in February.
Warner is in terrific form this year, especially at the spin-friendly SCG. In his last two internationals at this venue, both against Pakistan, he smashed 113 and 55 in the Test and an equally quickfire 130 in the ODI, winning man of the match honours both times.
During the first innings of the Sydney Test he became only the fifth player to hit a century before lunch, and the first to do so in Australia. Then, in the second innings, he smashed the second quickest 50 (off 23 balls) in Test annals.
I’m sure he would like to carry the SCG turf in his suitcase when Australia tours India.
Australia needs a batsman of his courage and charisma to win in India – they haven’t won a Test, let alone a Test series, in the country for 12 years. Their most recent tour, in 2012-13, resulted in a 0-4 whitewash. The last time they won in India was way back in 2004-05.
According to ESPN Cricinfo, “Steven Smith has challenged his deputy David Warner to do a Karun Nair and go on to make the sort of monumental scores that will be essential if the tourists are to have any hope of besting India at home next month.”
Indian batsman Nair, 25, scored 303 not out against England in the Chennai Test last month, using deft footwork facing spinners.
This is what Australia’s best batsmen – Smith, Warner, Usman Khawaja and Peter Handscomb – should do to nullify India’s spin menace of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra.
So far Warner has played only four Tests in India (in 2012-13), scoring 195 runs at 24.37, for a highest score of 71. His performance in Sri Lanka last year was equally unimpressive, with 163 runs in three Tests at 27.16, and a top score of 68.
He has to forget all these stats and think he is playing on the SCG, which also aids spinners, and go bang-bang in India. ‘The best form of defence is attack’ should be his mantra.
However, my prediction for the success of the tour is Handscomb. Only 25, he has a Don Bradman-like batting average of 99.75 in the four Tests he has played so far. He has the footwork and dedication to smother the Indian spin attack.
Conventional Handscomb and daredevil Warner should make an odd but successful couple in India.
Test great Steve Smith is to play for Washington Freedom in the second season of Major League Cricket as the Australian influence in the…
Nathan Lyon has revealed his disappointment that Australia's cricket chiefs have prevented him from playing his first full season of county cricket in England…
Some of you may have watched the recent Fox Sports Series 'A Brief History of Australian Cricket: the Eighties'. If not, I’d definitely recommend…
Nathan Lyon's spell with English county Lancashire has been halved as Cricket Australia looks to protect the fitness of the star spinner. The Australian,…
Cricket Australia insists Optus Stadium can replace the Gabba as the men's Test team's new fortress after handing Perth the first match against India.…
It's no longer about how many runs score individually - it is about the team's ability to win Test in pressure moments.
