Years back Virender Sehwag said something along the lines of, “David Warner will not just play in Tests but excel in that format too.”
Even Warner was taken aback by such a bold claim and rightly so, as he hadn’t yet played any first class cricket.
But years later, Warner has surpassed what Sehwag must have envisioned for him even in his wildest dreams. At the moment Warner’s record stands at 6000 plus Test runs in 72 Tests at an average of 48, with 21 Test centuries and just two short of Sehwag.
He has won the World Cup, won the IPL as captain, just won the Tri-Series T-20 against tough England and New Zealand as well. The call for Warner to take over the reins in the limited overs format is becoming louder.
And perhaps he could captain Australia full-time, but his Test batting still has to reach a level which could instil fear into opponents’ minds like Sehwag’s did. The main problem with Warner is that he hasn’t set his team on fire overseas.
In India, he doesn’t have a century to his name in two tours whereas if you look up the Sehwag’s name you find his 195 at the Adelaide Oval and his 309 at Multan along with centuries in New Zealand, the West Indies and Sri Lanka.
Warner has had three centuries in South Africa to show apart from one in the UAE. His away record when he is batting at his peak is what has held him back from climbing the stratospheric height of greatness.
While Sehwag faded in the fag end of his career and ultimately bowed after being dropped, Warner needs to get a big one to his name overseas. With the Ashes 2019 and UAE tour looming there is still an opportunity for him better his away numbers.
He cannot have a bowling record like Sehwag’s, who was a handy part-timer in his heyday. But he can be the best version of himself; he still has four to five good years of cricket left in him and going by his fitness standard, he can target 10k runs in Tests and become first Australian opener to get to the magical figures.
His hand-eye coordination, which has served him well in his aggressive approach, should help him as long as he keeps himself fit. He is more confident than Steve Smith, who would want to face as many balls as he could in a net session.
David Warner has had a poor outing in the T-20 WC as well in 2014 and 2016. Everything could change in 2020 when Australia hosts the World Cup. With Steve Smith opting to rest his body following the gruelling ODI and Test, Warner looks to be chosen to lead the T-20 side and winning that would be the pinnacle of his career.
Warner will be remembered as attacking captain in the mould of McCullum, and his achievements won’t match up to Sehwag’s, but it doesn’t need to.
Australia needs the best version of David Warner.
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