Former Australian cricketers and commentators Michael Hussey and Mark Waugh were worried about David Warner’s fitness and questioned his shot selection after the opener fell for just 5 runs on Day 1 of the ongoing third Test against India on Thursday (January 7) in Sydney.
The opening batsman is yet to fully recover from the groin injury and due to which he had already missed two Tests of the ongoing four-Test series against India. However, he was drafted into the Australia XI for the ongoing Sydney Test where he could face only 8 balls for just 5 runs.
Undoubtedly, Australia rushed Warner despite the fact that he wasn’t 100% fit, and maybe his injury made him impatient, making him play a rash shot and losing his wicket to India’s Mohammed Siraj.
Warner was visibly discomforted while running between the wickets and Hussey said it's not a great sign for the hosts that Warner was not even close to 100 percent fit.
Hussey said on Fox Cricket during the Day 1’s play: “He was running through, he’s certainly laboring a little bit and it’s not the David Warner we are used to seeing. He certainly is not even close to 100 percent fit. It’s not a great sign.”
Meanwhile, Mark Waugh wasn’t really pleased with Warner’s “impatient shot” as his injury wasn’t letting him to play that shot.
Former Australian further said: “That’s just a loose shot. That’s not a shot you want to be playing in the first 20 minutes of a Test match. You’re driving on the up, it’s not there to drive and it’s wide as well and you’re throwing your hands at it.”
Waugh added, “Even if his groin was okay, he would have had to take an almighty step to get even close to that delivery. Just an impatient shot really and maybe trying to get runs on the board quickly.”
On the other hand, another former Australia cricketer Kerry O’Keefe also pointed out that Warner is “far less than 100 percent fit” and that has played a part in the rash stroke in the ongoing SCG Test.
O’Keefe said during the game, “He bats with his hands but he always has a look. He didn’t seem to be looking that much today. The red flag went up when he took that single, the last 10 meters he really labored and he’s far less than 100 percent fit.”
He signed off by saying, “A lot of his utterings going into this Test match was that, ‘I’m going to change the tempo of this innings’ and in trying to do that he’s played an errant shot.”
(With Fox Cricket Inputs)
