Sunil Gavaskar, the iconic Indian opener, is of the opinion that David Warner, the seasoned Australian batsman, has earned the right to decide the terms of his Test retirement. David Warner is set to bid farewell after the ongoing series against Pakistan, concluding with the final Test in Sydney.
In a fiery column for the Veteran Opener, Mitchell Johnson raised questions about the West Australians’ commitment and questioned whether his inconsistent Test form warranted a farewell Test. Despite this, David Warner silenced critics by scoring an impressive 164 in the first Test against Pakistan in Perth.
David Warner’s 164 pretty much assures him a spot in the eleven for next 2 Test matches- Sunil Gavaskar
Gavaskar, expressing his views in a column for The Hindu, emphasized that David Warner’s stellar performance has settled any debate about his place in the team for the remaining series matches.
Gavaskar said,
“Warner has now answered that in fine style by hitting a brilliant century in the first Test match in Perth. Though he got out for a duck in the second innings, his 164 in the first innings pretty much assures him a spot in the eleven for the next two Test matches too,”
“Johnson admitted that a text message from Warner in April had been the main driver for his article about Warner’s place in the side,”
Sunil Gavaskar tried to make sense of the reasoning behind Mitchell Johnson’s harsh criticisms of David Warner in his column, digging into the motivations behind Johnson’s fierce remarks.
“His (Johnson) argument was that, apart from a double century last year, Warner hadn’t scored enough runs in the previous few years to be guaranteed a place on the team. Warner had announced his intention of quitting Test cricket after playing at his home ground, Sydney, early next year,”
Australia secured a commanding victory in the first Test of the three-match series against Pakistan, winning by a huge margin of 360 runs. The second Test is scheduled to kick off on Boxing Day (December 26) at the MCG.
It’s important to have a cooling-off period- Gavaskar
Drawing from his immense experience representing India, Sunil Gavaskar acknowledged that divergent opinions among players are natural. Gavaskar, who hasn’t been particularly supportive of players joining media or coaching immediately after retiring from professional cricket, stressed the significance of taking a break from the game before taking alternative roles.
Explaining the importance of stepping away from the sport before re-entering in another capacity, Gavaskar conveyed his perspective on the topic by saying,
“Players who have earlier been teammates falling out with each other is nothing new in sports, and that’s why it’s important to have a cooling-off period before a retired player is given the responsibility of coaching the team or being a selector,” said Sunil Gavaskar.
“Some perceived slights with his former teammate may cloud judgement and lead to some ill-judged decisions against his former teammate, who is still playing,” he added.
Australia dominated Pakistan, securing a resounding 360-run victory in the Perth Test. The visitors now face a tough challenge to take something away from the series.