Virender Sehwag reveals advice he gave to young David Warner

The ongoing third Test between Australia and Pakistan in Sydney is going to be the final appearance for legendary opener David Warner in whites. He has also announced his decision to retire from ODI cricket. However, he will return to the 50-over format if the team needs him for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.

Warner’s former Indian Premier League (IPL) opening partner Virender Sehwag recalled memories from India’s Test tour to Australia in 2011-12. The flamboyant Delhi batter revealed that he had told his bowlers to try and stop Warner from scoring as it was the only way to get him out.

“I always admired the fact that he batted with the same mind-set as mine. When we played in that Test match in Perth (Warner smashed 180 in 159 balls, the quickest century by an opener at that stage), I told my bowlers don’t bowl to him like it’s a Test match. Bowl to him like it’s a T20, stop him scoring so that he then gets out. If you can’t stop him scoring, then he will never get out,” Warner told Cricbuzz.

Sehwag also remembered his interaction with Warner during the series. The 45-year-old said that he and Warner secretly admired each other’s batting on the tour.

“We didn’t chat much off the field. But on the field, we had our own understanding. ‘Hope you’re enjoying my batting,’ he would come and say after every boundary he hit. I would do the same when I was batting. After every boundary off my bat, I’d walk up to him and say, ‘Hope you’re enjoying my batting.’ Nothing more than that. We would also do it very cautiously so that none of our teammates could hear us complimenting each other on the field while a Test match was on. (Laughs),” Sehwag said.

‘Your job is to focus on playing the way you want to play and not the way everyone else wants you to play’ – Virender Sehwag reveals advice he gave to young David Warner

Sehwag and Warner played for the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) between 2009-2013. The former said that during one of the IPL seasons, he advised Warner to bat in his natural way and not worry about what the others have to say about his approach.

“See, a batter can get out while defending the ball and a batter can get out while playing a shot. Even the most defensive-minded of batters has got out while playing a shot and every shot-maker at some point has got out while defending. Criticism is part of our life as cricketers. I had a discussion with David during the IPL one season where he wasn’t scoring runs as consistently as always. I gave him a piece of advice. ‘People will say a lot of things about your batting. That’s their job. Your job is to focus on playing the way you want to play and not the way everyone else wants you to play. That’s where your strength lies.’ I told him the only way to shut them up is by being honest to yourself and letting your bat do the talking for you,” Sehwag stated.

The cricketer-turned-commentator explained how players like him and Warner make impacts in a game. To explain his point, Sehwag talked about India’s famous Test win against England in Chennai in 2008. The swashbuckling opener scored a fantastic 83 off 68 balls and helped the hosts get off to a flying start before Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh took their team to victory. India chased down 387 on the last day of the encounter.

“Impact is something that comes into question after the match. You can’t think about it while you’re batting. When I made that 83 off 60 balls in Chennai (against England in 2008), I remember my attitude that evening was I have to put every boundary ball away. We have enough players to save this Test but if my aggressive approach comes off at the top of the order, then we will be in a position to chase this down. I guess that’s how you make an impact on matches and results. But again people call it an impactful innings only if it results in victories for your team,” Sehwag said.