Even though David Warner has played in the Indian Premier League for many years and is therefore quite familiar with the conditions, David Warner has been criticized by Gautam Gambhir for his difficulties in Test match cricket in India.
In the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, played on February 17 in Delhi, Aussies were bowled out for 263 runs after Warner was dismissed for only 15 runs. India ended Day 1 with 21 runs, with no losses, as Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul were not separated at the Stumps.
Gambhir was asked about his opinion on David Warner’s knock during a Star Sports interview. In his words, Gautam stated, “Warner was having a terrible inning, as evidenced by his performance. It wasn’t only Ashwin; he also batted poorly against Mohammed Siraj and Mohammad Shami. Ashwin has a fantastic record against him. Warner has been playing in the IPL for 15 years, and this is his third tour.”
Gambhir pointed out that Warner is more acclimated to playing in India than Indian batters are to the circumstances in Australia and that this is a significant advantage for Warner. He added, “It’s not like the circumstances were all that different. While the Indian batters travel to Australia barely 15 days before the Tests and get to play one practice match, you have played many matches in India. Despite that, you have such numbers.”
On Day 1 of the Delhi Test, Warner seemed uncomfortable in the middle. Mohammad Siraj bowled a few short balls that hit him in the body, and he was eventually caught behind Mohammad Shami’s bowling.
Gambhir noted Warner’s difficulties on spin and swing-friendly pitches, saying, “When you grade Indian batsmen based on their results when they go to Australia, if you rate David Warner’s performances similarly, he has suffered a lot in both India and England in Test cricket.”
The former Indian opener summed up by claiming that the Aussie is a solid player in his surroundings “We shouldn’t say he is a fantastic batsman because he doesn’t enjoy playing Test cricket in England and India. He is a phenomenal batsman exclusively in Australian conditions.”
After playing 13 Tests in England, Warner has scored 651 runs at a poor 26.04 average. His record in India is considerably worse, with 414 runs scored in 19 innings for an average of just 21.78.
