Australian captain Steven Smith wants David Warner to emulate Karun Nair
What’s the story?
The Australian cricket team are set to tour India for a 4-match Test series that promises to be all kinds of awesome. They will travel as the 2nd ranked Test side in the world after having humbled Pakistan in a 3-match Test series.
Once world-beaters all over, the 5-time World Cup champions have now been reduced to bullies at home as they have struggled while traveling, with their worries only compounded when they travel to Asia, where they have not won a series in 6 years.
Captain Steven Smith does believe his side must not be ruled out though. In an interview to Espncricinfo, he highlighted what his team must do to trouble India.
“If he gets to a hundred it might be about knuckling down again and going big, get 200 or 300, like Karun Nair did a few weeks ago.” Smith said while speaking about the contribution of David Warner to the team.
In case you didn’t know...
The last time Australia got the better of India in India was 2004-2005 and have lost 9 out of the 10 Test matches ever since. Matters hit an all-time low for the Aussies when they traveled to Sri Lanka, a nation they have dominated over the years in 2016.
Their batsmen could not deal with the spin whatsoever and crashed to a 3 – 0 defeat with just Steven Smith and Shaun Marsh managing a century.
The heart of the matter
Smith has challenged his boys to change their approach while playing India, picking out his deputy David Warner as one of the players who hold the keys to success for his team. He doesn’t want Warner to curb his natural instinct, but instead, go for a big hundred when he gets the chance.
"Those are the big scores that set your team up, so we are just being hungry and willing to keep going and not let up. I think we've been guilty in the past of saying 'a ball's going to have your name on it, so get them before one gets you'.
He also spoke about the importance of having a solid defense and not giving up when your backs are up against the wall.
What’s next?
David Warner is having an absolutely sensational time in international cricket off-late and his form rivals that of the best in the world, including Virat Kohli.
The first Test gets underway on the 23rd of February at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune.
Sportskeeda’s take
It is great to see Steven Smith put up a brave face ahead of the Indian tour. The Australian side have had a bit of a turnaround after they made sweeping changes during the South Africa series and managed to win the last Test.
They have brought in new faces, and they have helped to bring about a change in fortunes after a few dark months.
But it might be a stretch, even for David Warner, to come close to doing what Karun Nair with his triple-century.