It was all about David Warner versus Sunrisers Hyderabad, the franchise which sacked his captaincy and playing opportunity in the last few games of the last IPL season. After all those dramas in IPL 2021, the excitement to see how the former SRH captain would handle his old side was high before that night of the 50th match of IPL 2022. Undoubtedly, It was a big and long-awaited match this season. The typical Australian-winning attitude made Warner outplay SRH with his packed skill.
The start was a little messy from Warner. The first ball he played was a half-hearted shot that fortunately fetched luck to get past the covers fielder in the air.
In the next over, Warner used the pace of the sensational Umran Malik to move his numbers on board. In that process, the momentum for the powerplay was also created.
Right after that start, he had a particular mantra to follow. The Southpaw waited for those balls outside off, and at the same time, the balls that were bowled to the stumps were safely guarded. In the meanwhile, he also made use of the short balls bowled with his elegant pull shot.
Being a spin-power-hitter, the introduction of spin bowling also helped him tick the scoreboard with ease. He easily managed to yield boundaries hither and thither. Running between the wickets had always been his shining light, and it remained the same on that night.
His excellent technique was already 50 odd runs for him on board without taking any risks. When the time came to slog hard, he shifted his gear by playing a scoop shot of Kartik Tyagi’s ball from over the wicket to his pads.
Watch: David Warner smashing 92 against SRH – IPL 2022
Even though he was well set and in his 60s, he played Malik’s third over as per his mantra. Still kept his wicket safe from the wicket-taker of SRH – That’s what top batters do.
In that light, the switch-hit back cut against Bhuvneshwar Kumar showed the real shrewdness of Warner. The decision was made at the last fraction of a second before connecting the ball. Even the right-handed batters wouldn’t have played that shot with much elegance. That particular shot will be etched popularly on social media forever.
The climax of the innings was even more interesting. The Australian was at 92 off 58 at the end of the 19th over. By then, Warner could only see the gaps, not the fielders. He could have easily asked for a single from Rovman Powell to mark his three-digit score. But what the most-times Orange Cap winner did was the real example of a team player.
