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Bludgeoning 180 runs from 159 balls at Test level tends to steal most of the headlines and the space on the back pages, but there was more to David Warner’s performance at the WACA that points to a bright future in the baggy green.
That is to say, it’s not merely at the crease that Warner is showing himself to be a worthy member of this Australian team.
In the field Warner pushed himself to the limit, sprinting after drives like his life depended on it, throwing himself through the air trying to take catches, and rushing to congratulate teammates when they made similar efforts.
Warner is acutely aware of the chance that he has been given, coming into the team following Shane Watson’s hamstring injury, and he is repaying the selectors with a more than worthy performance. Of course, the sun will not always be shining as it was on Friday afternoon, and quick-fire 20s and 30s will have to be tolerated alongside the punishing centuries.
Regardless, Warner brings a confidence and infectious enthusiasm that no successful team can do without. The great teams have had it. Adam Gilchrist for Australia in the 2000s springs to mind, or Graeme Swann in England’s current line-up.
Confidence is the crucial element – just ask the Indians, who are utterly devoid of it. Where David Warner and the Australians were practically skipping about the field, the Indians have looked lethargic and short of ideas throughout this series.
MS Dhoni is a major culprit here: he has not done nearly enough from his position behind the stumps in the first three Tests, and is now being forcibly rested by the ICC for his slow over rates in Perth.
It will be up to other senior players in the side – Tendulkar, Dravid, and Laxman – to motivate the rest of the squad. One gets the sense, seeing the flat batting displays from that trio throughout the series, that may just be a bridge too far.
As the rampant Australian fast bowling unit goes from strength to strength, along with the vigour and exuberance of players such as Warner, a second consecutive 4-0 series loss beckons for India. Cricket Australia launched the Argus review following a 3-1 loss to England. Surely eight losses on the run will push the BCCI in a similar direction.
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