It wasn’t the best season for Delhi Capitals. Batting woes to start with and batting woes to finish, Delhi never really got going right through the season. Barring Dave Warner. He fought each time he stepped out. At times, a lone battle. And it was only fitting that he finished off with a belligerent 86 off 58 in Delhi’s final game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). While some will speak about his strike-rate, one only needs to look at what was happening at the other end to know that Warner was more often than not a one-man army.
Warner is one of the most-loved international cricketers playing in India at the moment. Not simply because of his dance moves on Instagram or Twitter, but also for his determined effort to understand and appreciate Indian culture.
The sword dance in the CSK game was the perfect example. In fact, Warner has been able to completely change the narrative in his favour in the last few years. In 2013, he was hated by the Indian fans. One altercation after another, and he was Australia’s designated attack dog. Not anymore. Now a legend of the game, Warner knows what needs to be done and when to woo the crowd. He knows how to defuse a situation, and did so brilliantly against CSK.
Just as Ravindra Jadeja was about to throw the ball in trying to stop Warner from running for an overthrow, Warner stood his ground and performed the sword dance. For the next few seconds, everyone was in awe. While the commentators burst out laughing, Jadeja too had a smile on his face. It was the perfect way to lighten the mood.
For Warner, things have been a rollercoaster. When he debuted in 2009 with a whirlwind 89 off 43 balls in a T20 contest, he was stamped a white-ball specialist. He wasn’t suited for Test cricket went the argument. It took him two years to break the stereotype and make his red-ball debut for Australia against New Zealand.
People have written off Warner multiple times in his career. When he was sent back home following the incident with Joe Root in England in 2013, many thought it was over for him. “I was at my lowest back then,” he once told me. “That’s when I met Candice, and she changed everything for me. I was never a morning person. I had discipline issues. She made me get into a routine. Value my training and my fitness. Instilled the hunger in me that I had lost. Helped me cope with the negativity and I emerged a better person.”
With most, such things happen once. With Warner, the nightmare repeated itself in 2018 with Sandpapergate. The decision to not allow Warner to play IPL 2018 was the last straw. When we spoke then, I could barely hear his voice. It was as if I was speaking to a ghost. “I am not sure what I need to do or should do,” said a devastated Warner. “I don’t know if this is the real me. I have a family to look after, and that’s all I want to do. There are people outside the house every single day and it is tough, mate.”
His kids were very young then, and one could only imagine what the family was going through. Yes, he had not cried in public. Put on a bold face. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t hurting. He was. Anyone would. And here was someone who aspired to captain Australia, and was at the top of his game. All of a sudden, he was told he would never be captain, and there was no guarantee he could make it back to international cricket after the ban. All that could go wrong had for Warner.
Yet again, he did not give up. “It was rough,” he told me. “You know that. But I don’t regret anything. I am not perfect. Never have I claimed I was. You learn and you get better. That’s why we are human. Else, we would be gods.
“We play to entertain. We play to push for excellence. In 2018, I can tell you in all honesty that I was working the hardest and training the hardest I ever did. Not a single day did a miss. I was batting extremely well in the nets, and it was only a matter of time before it all started to work out. So yes, while it hurt, I knew I would have another opportunity. Sport is a great leveller, and if you are true to the sport and keep working hard, you will always have a second chance. I am glad it worked out for me.”
It is safe to assume that Warner will be saying the same thing to himself and the boys now that Delhi’s season is over. And yet again, get ready for the next battle. For that’s how he is, and that’s what defines the Warner narrative. In the middle of all this, Warner the entertainer also gained in strength with the sword dance. For all his fans in India, his dance moves are special. Now, they have something new to add to the existing body of work!
“We just love India,” said Warner. “The kind of affection we get from Indian people is incomparable. In fact, when we do some of these dance moves, the number of requests we would get is staggering. People think these moves can be mastered easily, but trust me, mate, they take days!! But the entire process is so much fun.”
Unlike some others, Warner will never claim to be perfect. And that’s his charm. He will continue to seek perfection while being imperfect. In doing so, he will continue to inspire. A 100 Tests don’t come easy, and multiple comebacks aren’t possible unless you are a true great of the game. So, what if he is not perfect? What if Delhi did not have the best season? That’s how sport is, and will be. We all need to reconcile ourselves with imperfection. As Warner says, “I have no regrets. Humbled with what life has given me and the family. All I want to do is stay true to my sport, be a good father, and continue to entertain for as long as I can.”
He has done that, and will do so for the foreseeable future.