David Warner: A Pinch-Hitter Like None Other in IPL T20

David Warner has emerged as a big-time pinch-hitter in IPL T20

David Andrew Warner, 30, was signed by the Indian Premier League franchisee, Delhi Daredevils in 2009 when the tournament was held in South Africa.  Warner figured in seven matches, scoring 163 runs at an average of 23.28.

In the meantime, Warner quickly established himself in the Australian team and emerged as the man to open the innings in all three formats, Test, ODIs and T20 for his national team.

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Quite naturally, Sunrisers Hyderabad picked him up in 2014 and has since been the mainstay of the team. Much as RCB falters when Chris Gayle fails, Hyderabad too rely heavily on their skipper and opening batsman, the pint sized dynamo in Warner. But the soft-spoken Australian has not only endeared himself to the local crowds, his stupendous exploits with the bat has made him the crowd favourite at all IPL venues.

In the past four seasons, Warner has ended among the top four in the batting records list and in 2015, he topped the heap too.

In 2016, when he led his team to the title, Warner was second with 848 runs in 17 games to Virat Kohli’s 973 in 17 matches.

In 2015, he was the IPL’s highest scorer with 562 runs in 14 matches while in 2014, he was fourth with 528 runs in 14 games.

As we go the press, Warner leads the 2017 charts having made 489 runs in 10 games so far with one century and three 50s at a phenomenal average of 61.12.  His team is more or less assured of a knock-out berth which means more games for this swashbuckling left-hander and more misery for the opponents.

To excel despite the presence of such sledgehammer wielders as Chris Gayle, Brandon McCullum, AB de Villiers, Keiron Pollard, Virat Kohli and some others is surely an outstanding feat.

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The Australian vice-captain is an entertainer par excellence while he enjoys his time out in the middle slamming the bowlers to all parts of the ground and knocking some paint off the roofs time and again. He does all that without the slightest indication of purpose. His rather short frame does not reveal the destruction he is capable of and only those who have been hammered all along can tell you how fearsome he can be. The crowds love him and even the opponents can’t help but applaud him as he goes about playing his paint strokes and even the improvised ones.

Warner burst on to the international scene in 2008-09 as a T20 specialist but he soon established himself in the Test and ODI sides too. The bag greens had discovered a rare gem even by their own standards.

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Surely, the Hyderabad side did the right thing in picking him up and the serious-looking and stern faced Warner has not disappointed them or the cricket fans at all.

It won’t be a surprise if Warner lifts the IPL Trophy once more in his blossoming career.

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