Ugly truth hanging over Warner's greatness

1 year ago 89

As David Warner tapped his bat and gazed down the wicket, steeling himself for the archetypal shot of the Nagpur Test, the seasoned knew fewer chances to overturn his grim India grounds awaited him.

The commencement to his innings was astir arsenic comfy arsenic it gets for a touring opener successful India; aft watching a Mohammed Shami loosener fly a mates of paces wide of disconnected stump, helium fended the shot disconnected his backmost ft and scurried done for a single.

Warner was disconnected the people and disconnected strike.

But 13 balls into Australia's archetypal dig, helium was trapped connected the crease arsenic his disconnected stump was ripped from the ground.

Provided George Bailey and institution clasp the 36-year-old for the adjacent 3 Tests, allowing a champion to sail into status connected his ain terms, helium tin cling to respective much chances to resuscitate his India legacy.

But careless of the luck oregon misfortune that whitethorn prevarication ahead, his model of accidental is closing astatine a drastic speed.

After being castled for 1 arsenic Shami charged successful from astir the wicket, Warner's Test mean connected Indian ungraded is 22.88.

Shami hadn't dismissed Warner successful Test cricket earlier Thursday. In India, the left-hander has fallen unfortunate to Ravichandran Ashwin much than each different bowlers, losing his wicket to the masterly off-spinner connected 5 occasions. He's besides been scalped by Harbhajan Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar connected Indian pitches.

Those dismissals span tours successful 2013 and 2017, won by India 4-0 and 2-1 respectively, and the archetypal innings of the ongoing Test successful Nagpur.

Through prolific numbers and spellbinding knocks, Warner has elevated himself to greatness.

Only six Australians person posted much Test runs than Warner's 8133, and conscionable 7 person notched much centuries.

His 69-ball ton astatine the WACA was a beauty, arsenic was his first-day period earlier lunch. There was his unbeaten 335, and much precocious possibly a career-saving treble period astatine the MCG.

He's besides 1 of conscionable 14 Australian men with 100 oregon much Tests beside their name.

Not atrocious for anyone, particularly a bloke vaulted into Australian colours without a first-class crippled successful the bag, and astir universally pigeon-holed arsenic a short-form slogger.

But Warner's Test output successful India stands successful stark opposition to his heroics successful Australia. Every 1 of the aforementioned innings — arguably the top knocks of his Test vocation — were carved retired connected Australian decks, and his mean of 22.88 successful India is dwarfed by his location mean of 58.39.

Like Warner, destructive opening predecessor Matthew Hayden dominated bowling attacks connected Australian pitches, averaging 57.88. But dissimilar Warner, the barrel-chested Queenslander thrived successful India, averaging 51.35.

Relying heavy connected a lofted consecutive thrust and a assortment of expanse shots, Hayden plundered 549 runs, including knocks of 203, 119 and 97, for an mean of 109.8 connected Australia's circuit of India successful 2001.

A 1999 campy successful Chennai nether the adept eyes of Indian spinning icons Bishen Bedi and Erapalli Prasanna had sewn the effect for Hayden's occurrence connected that tour.

Hayden, Allan Border, Dean Jones, Michael Clarke and Steve Smith are among the Australian greats renowned for starring astatine location and successful India — a state successful which careers are mostly defined.

Australia's 2nd excavation successful Nagpur, and perchance the pursuing 3 Tests, volition bargain Warner much clip to flooded his struggles successful India — a glaring blight connected a superlative career.

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