David Warner prepares for tour of India with two quality centuries vs Bangladesh

David Warner has managed to put behind poor run in Test cricket with two brilliant centuries against Bangladesh, setting himself up well for the ODIs in India.

David Warner has finally put behind his horrible run in the Indian subcontinent with the bat, scoring his second consecutive Test century against Bangladesh in the ongoing Test series on Wednesday. (BAN v AUS live scorecard)

Australia's David Warner jumps in the air in celebration after scoring his 20th hundred against Bangladesh in Chittagong.(AP)

David Warner equalled his captain Steven Smith in scoring 20 Test centuries for Australia, which was the sixth away for the left-handed batsman. In an innings that included a mere five hits to the fence in getting to the triple-digit mark, Warner showed resolve and character to succeed in toughest of conditions.

For a batsman who has been at the receiving end of severe criticism for his ordinary numbers before the Test series between Australia and Bangladesh, Warner has put an end to all such talks with two superlative innings which promise to change the perception about one of the finest batsman in contemporary cricket.

Before the Bangladesh tour, Warner averaged an ordinary 36.61 while playing away from home and these two centuries will certainly help the Australian vice-captain improve his numbers as well.

These centuries will bolster Warner’s reputation as a batsman who can make runs in toughest of conditions, and will also raise hopes of Australia’s ultimate aim of winning a Test series in India when they travel for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2021.

Warner, also known as The Bull for his aggression on the field and also while batting, cut a sorry figure for failing miserably in both Sri Lanka and India last year. In the latter series, he could garner only one half-century.

Ironically it was the same batsman who had begun this year by smacking a hundred in the first session of the first day at Sydney against Pakistan, becoming only the fifth batsman in the history of Test cricket to do so.

But David Warner turned around his fortunes with what he described as his ‘best innings’ at Mirpur in the first Test against Bangladesh. Warner put in all he had to churn out a gritty hundred in the second innings to take Australia agonisingly close to their target in a Test which they lost by a mere 20 runs.

The century in the first innings was followed by another important knock in the second and final Test at Chittagong, wherein he laid the platform for a strong first-innings total for Australia in reply to Bangladesh’s 305. Warner was involved in two big partnerships with Steve Smith and Peter Handscomb that set up the platform for Australia to seize control of the Chittagong Test.

David Warner brought out the usual celebration when he leaped and pumped in the air with aggression, kissing his new Baggy Green in the process when he completed his century on Wednesday.

He certainly would have missed his old cap — found at his home in Australia after a frenetic search leading to the replacement — which has been his companion all these years.

What this also means is Warner is primed up perfectly for the limited-overs contests in India consisting five ODIs and three T20Is between September 17 to October 11.

Warner enjoys playing white ball cricket in India and with two important knocks in his kitty, the Australian run-machine will be more than eager to have a go against the Indian bowlers in what promises to be a run-fest between two batting-heavy sides.

He has been a prolific run-maker in the Indian Premier League, captaining Sunrisers Hyderabad to a title win in 2016. As far as limited-overs cricket is concerned, David Warner knows his way around and his current form is a warning for the Indian bowlers.