The double-hundred was there for the taking. But as is very David Warner, he was trying to push the scoring rate even further and perhaps not thinking of the individual landmark. Having struggled in the first few games, Warner needed a big innings to make a statement. For him and for Australia. Sadly for Pakistan, they were exposed to his ire. On a day when Warner is in this sort of mood, there is no stopping him.
Having known Warner for years, I can say with certainty that he isn’t one to just hold on to his position. Even before the selectors take a call on his future, he will, if he feels he doesn’t belong at the highest level. Having achieved everything that there is to in international cricket, Warner knows that nothing lasts forever. Having said that, he will want to finish on a high and have a really good home stretch. That’s what he is focussed on at the moment, and that’s what this innings was all about.
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. The argument was that he wasn’t suited for Test cricket. It took him two years to break the stereotype and make his red-ball debut for Australia against New Zealand.
People have written Warner off multiple times in his career. When he was sent home following the incident with Joe Root in England in 2013, many thought it was over for him. With most, such things happen once. With Warner, the nightmare repeated itself in 2018, with Sandpapergate. The decision not to allow him to play the IPL in 2018 seemed the last straw.
But yet again, he did not give up. The comeback post-Sandpapergate was the best one could imagine. Tons of runs across all three formats, player of the tournament in the 2021 T20 World Cup, and there was no looking back for Warner.
Unlike some others, Warner will never claim to be perfect. And that’s his charm. He will continue to seek perfection while being imperfect, and in doing so, continue to inspire. He was given a poor decision in the last match against Sri Lanka. He looked livid while walking back. But then, he knew such things happen and he had to get back to the grind once again. Try harder and make it count. On a batting belter in Bengaluru, Warner made the World Cup his own. And in making a 124-ball 163, he made sure that Australia are very much back in the mix.
Whether it is Ahmedabad or the SCG, whenever he decides to call time, it will be the end of a very special career. One that will leave us all with many life lessons, the most important of them being never to give up. Everyone present at the Chinnaswamy was witness to this spirit that is the essence of Dave Warner.