"It hit me when I lost the captaincy" - David Warner on his unceremonious exit as Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper
Australia's explosive opener David Warner has admitted that his unceremonious exit as captain of the Sunrisers Hyderabad side last year did have an impact on him.
Speaking on 'The Brett Lee podcast', David Warner pointed out that he did not feel compelled to give any statements back then after his sacking, as he had a stellar record in the competition. Warner stated that he adopted this approach as he had already established himself as a proven campaigner. He said:
"Last year, it hit me when I lost the captaincy in the Indian Premier League. I thought I could go back the old way, look at my stats. I believe that I didn't have to comment or do anything like that post that."
David Warner was dropped as skipper of the Hyderabad team during the first leg of the cash-rich league year. It is worth mentioning that Warner even struggled to retain his position in the team's playing XI post that. The Aussie was unsurprisingly released by the franchise ahead of the IPL 2022 auction.
"You can't physically prepare for that" - David Warner on playing in Indian conditions
The 35-year-old also discussed the challenges an overseas player has to face while acclimatising to weather conditions in India. David Warner reckons that it would be even more difficult as players are required to play 14 matches in two months or so.
Warner stated that he prefers to run on the treadmill after being in the sauna for around 10 minutes. He added that he repeats the process over and over again to prepare himself for the hot and humid Indian conditions. Warner said:
"When you play T20 cricket in Indian conditions, it cooks your body and taxes your legs. You see, Maxwell's IPL last year, he was cooked after three overs. If you are playing 14 games in the space of 60-70 days with training in between, you can't physically prepare for that."
He added:
"I had seven days to prepare when I first arrived for the IPL. I would be in the sauna for 10 minutes and then run a kilometre on the treadmill and repeat the same. That was the only way I could prepare for the conditions and I've done it pretty much every time I've gone for the IPL."
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The dynamic batter is set to go under the hammer in the much-awaited IPL 2022 auction. Warner is among the players to have listed their base price at INR 2 crores for the event.