IPL 2021: "SRH's job is to win matches, not give farewells" - Gautam Gambhir on David Warner's likely final match for the franchise
Gautam Gambhir has slammed the demands of a 'farewell' for former SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain David Warner during the team's match against Mumbai Indians (MI) on Friday.
David Warner was dropped from SRH's playing XI twice in IPL 2021. In the first half in India, he lost his place in the side as well as the captaincy to make way for Kane Williamson. During the UAE leg, the Aussie's poor form paved the way for Jason Roy's inclusion in the team. After the latter development, many observers believe SRH are unlikely to retain their most successful batsman for IPL 2022.
Speaking during an interaction with ESPNcricinfo, Gautam Gambhir rubbished the notion of farewell, saying even the 'legends' of the game didn't get a special final match. He remarked that SRH's job is simply to win matches and not give farewell to players who don't fit into the playing XIs. Gambhir said:
"See, a lot of great players didn't get farewells. We all know that even some legends didn't, although legend is a big word. I don't understand this system of farewells. Ultimately, you are playing to win the match. If your best playing XI includes him, then absolutely give him a chance. If not, then absolutely don't give him a chance. As simple as it gets. SunRisers' job is to win matches and not give farewells."
Woohoooo we won 😘😘😘
David Warner has been SRH's most dependable batsman since the franchise replaced the Deccan Chargers in the IPL. But this season, amid injuries and comebacks, the 34-year-old struggled dearly, scoring just 195 runs from eight matches at an average of 24.38.
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If released by SRH, he'll likely be signed by another team in the IPL 2022 mega-auction.
What SRH did against RCB, they can do the same against MI: Gautam Gambhir
We head back to Abu Dhabi tonight to face Mumbai Indians in our last game of #IPL2021
#SRHvMI #OrangeArmy #OrangeOrNothing https://t.co/eF0RSTwt3d
Gautam Gambhir also talked about the chances of SRH getting the better of defending champions MI in Abu Dhabi. He said that with a new-found multi-dimensional bowling combination, SRH can repeat their all-round performance from two days back against Rohit Sharma and co. Gambhir explained:
"If you can ask questions against RCB, you can do the same against Mumbai Indians as well... Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar)'s rhythm was much better in the last game. Now Umran Malik is there too, who provides that extra pace, which means the bowling attack is not one-dimensional. Now you have swings, pace and Rashid Khan so they can surely challenge. There was a time when it felt like they couldn't win against RCB but they did, it's also possible that they would defeat Mumbai Indians too."
SRH are already out of the race for the playoffs. MI need to win the match by an impossible 171-run margin after batting first to have a chance. The proceedings will kick off at 7:30 PM IST.