Virender Sehwag Once Told David Warner He’ll be a Better Test Batsman Than in T20 Cricket
David Warner has shed light on how a chat with former India international Virender Sehwag helped him to re-frame his mindset regarding batting in Test cricket. Warner, considered to be one of a the most explosive limited-overs batsmen, has replicated his success in Tests as well, the Adelaide triple-century being the latest example of how far he has come in the longest format.
Warner has been a top-draw in Indian Premier League, having played for the erstwhile Delhi Daredevils and now Sunrisers Hyderabad. During his time with the DD, he met Sehwag and the duo started discussing batting in red-ball cricket.
Sehwag told Warner that he will be a better Test batsman than in T20s, something that left the Australian mighty amused. “When I got the opportunity to play for Delhi Capitals, a few years back in the IPL, and I met Viru (Virender Sehwag) over there and he sat down to me and I’ll quote him forever, he said, ‘I’ll be a better Test player than a T20 player’ and I told him that you are out of your mind, I don’t even play many first-class games,” Warner said on Saturday after hitting a maiden Test triple-hundred.
He added, “And he always said to me, ‘You have some slips and gullies, the covers are open, mid-wicket is there, mid-on and mid-offs are up, you just play in your way and you’ll get off to a flyer and sit there all day and picking up lofts’ and that has always stuck at the back of my mind. That sounded very easy when we were discussing that.”
Sehwag is widely regarded as someone who changed the role of an opener in Test cricket with his strike-rate and the success he enjoyed. Like Warner, his batting style also was considered to be more suited for ODIs and T20Is. But he went on to play 104 Tests, scored 8586 runs at 49.34 including two triple-centuries.
Warner scored an unbeaten 335 and thus went past the records of legendary Don Bradman and Mark Taylor who both had 334 as their highest Test score. “It’s always been a dream to get the green badge but passing Sir Don Bradman’s highest score, as a kid you always think who is ever going to beat that score and then you know, Brian Lara goes on to get 400, made it look easy,” Warner said of his feat. “And then, you had Mathew Hayden get 380, and in the back of your mind you never think that you are ever going to get yourself over there ever but when you get an opportunity like that you do your best and see how good you are against the greatest ever.”