Sports
Injured Warner declares himself fit to play in Melbourne
Melbourne: Injured Australian opener David Warner, despite admitting he was yet not entirely pain-free, has declared himself fit for the Boxing Day Test against India.
Warner is still recovering from a thumb complaint sustained in the second Test after being hit by a Umesh Yadav delivery. But the left hander practised Wednesday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground () here without any massive discomfort.
“It was a bit sore when it hit the splice or the toe of the bat but that’s to be expected, but I feel good and I’m ready to go,” Warner said on Wednesday.
“(There’s been) talk about (my) bottom hand being a bit looser and it’s probably going to help me a bit I think, but when the ball hits the splice I found out today it’s going to be quite painful but I can bear that pain and I can get out there on Boxing Day.
He revealed he felt pain while batting against spinners at the nets Wednesday but could muster the courage to bear it and plans to adopt a similar approach while playing the third Test, starting Friday.
“I tried to have a dip at the spinners to see if I could actually hit the ball as hard as I can and it did feel real sore but I had to try and grind it out and get through that pain and I was able to do that,” the 28-year-old said.
Home
Sunil Gavaskar gives his opinion of GT allrounder Rahul Tewatia
The left-handed batsman from Haryana is garnering praise from all quarters for the way he’s finishing games regularly in the most exciting IPL season.
Gavaskar reckons Tewatia’s whirlwind knock in Sharjah (in IPL 2020) where he smashed West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over, gave him the confidence that he belongs to the big stage.
Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “That assault on Sheldon Cottrell in Sharjah gave him the belief to do the impossible and the confidence that he belongs here. We saw the impossible (he did with the bat) the other day as well. There’s no twitching or touching the pads (which shows a batter’s nervousness) when he bats in the death overs. He just waits for the ball to be delivered and plays his shots. He’s got all the shots in the book, but most importantly his temperament to stay cool in a crisis is brilliant.”
Gavaskar has also nicknamed the 28-year-old cricketer the ‘ice-man’ and lauded Tewatia’s ability to remain unruffled during the tense moments.