IPL 2023: Former Australia batter Shane Watson feels that it is a huge loss for SunRisers Hyderabad that they let go of David Warner from their team in 2021 season.
By India Today Sports Desk: David Warner is going to do a great job as the captain of Delhi Capitals, feels former Australia player Shane Watson. Speaking to Sportstar, a blunt Watson said that it was madness for SunRisers Hyderabad to sack Warner after a few bad games, and what SRH lost, Delhi gained in the last edition of the tournament. In the 2022 season of the Indian Premier League, David Warner scored 432 runs at a strike-rate of 150+, a huge difference from the 2021 season, where he played 8 games and scored just 195 runs.
“There is no doubt that Dave being the leader will give him that extra bit of inspiration to stand up for his team and dominate like he has. Dave has always performed incredibly well in the IPL. There might have been three or four games with Sunrisers Hyderabad when he didn’t score runs and he got dropped, which was just madness,” Watson told Sportstar.
The former all-rounder hailed Warner as a tremendous tactician and said that he was a brilliant man manager, something that could be the point of difference between a good and a great team.
Warner’s form has been questioned in recent times, where he has not been able to perform at his usual best, especially in the longest format of the game. Watson was of the opinion that Warner had done enough for Australia and world cricket to deserve to choose his own path and take the decision that suited him the best.
“It’s an interesting time for David Warner in Test cricket. He scored an incredible hundred at the MCG on Boxing Day, that was an amazing double-hundred. It is entirely up to him if he wants to continue to push his case in Test cricket and get back to his consistent best. He deserves the right to be able to make his own decisions,” Watson said.
Delhi Capitals would be rooting for Warner to deliver at the top due to the absence of Rishabh Pant in the line-up. The team will take on Lucknow Super Giants in their opening game.