The 12th edition of the Indian Premier League on Sunday (March 31) brought fierce competitors - David Warner and Jonny Bairstow - together for one team and they helped Sunrisers Hyderabad dominate the proceedings over Royal Challengers Bangalore.
The duo made up of an Australian and an Englishman pulled off a masterclass on batting and stitched a record-breaking opening partnership of 185 runs. SRH went on to post a monumental score of 231/2 in their 20 overs, with both Warner (100 off 55 balls) and Bairstow (114 off 56 balls) making outstanding T20 centuries.
Later, RCB was bundled out for just 113 in 19.5 overs which meant an easy 118-run victory for the home team in Hyderabad. But what left everyone amused midway through the game were the valiant acts of Warner and Bairstow, who will be locking horns in another Ashes this summer.
"This is what the IPL does! A highly strung aggressive Aussie runs down the wicket to hug a pretty expressive Englishman in an Ashes year!!" famous commentator Harsha Bhogle summed it up perfectly when he wrote this over Twitter at the time.
Bairstow and Warner recorded the best first-wicket stand in the history of IPL by going past Gautam Gambhir and Chris Lynn, who previously held the top position in the elite list for their remarkable performance for Kolkata Knight Riders against Gujarat Lions.
Also, when former England batsman Kevin Pietersen asked Bairstow how exactly it felt to bat alongside Warner, he said, "It was great to bat here - between the wickets it's one of the bigger pitches in India so getting the gaps and constantly rotating the strike is tough - fantastic pitch out there. I'm not sure I'm superhuman, I'm absolutely cooked, but as long as you're getting your head through the ball it's alright - only if you fall over, you'll miscue it."
"It was fantastic to bat in the middle with Warner - and it's fantastic he's got the Orange cap. The crowd is amazing, the fans are fanatical, and we are fortunate to have them."
Before Warner echoed the sentiments by adding, "I think the 12 months have done me well - I think I am refreshed. A fantastic partnership - a fantastic innings by Jonny (Bairstow). Half the job is done."
(Inputs from India Today)
