'It put me back a little bit': David Warner admits rushing back from injury for India Tests was a mistake
Warner struggled to sprint on the field like his usual self and appeared in discomfort while batting, scoring 5, 13, 1 and 48.
Australia opening batsman David Warner has admitted he would have been better off by taking time to heal entirely than making a rushed comeback into the Australian team for the Test series against India. Warner, who suffered a groin injury in the second ODI in November last year, was ruled out of the first two Tests against India, but with the series levelled at 1-1, and the team management included the batsman back in the squad for the third and fourth Tests.
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Warner was clearly less than a 100 percent, evident from his body language. He struggled to sprint on the field like his usual self and appeared in discomfort while batting, scoring 5, 13, 1 and 48. Looking back, Warner regrets his comeback, but informed that he got time to recover completely with the South Africa series getting called off.
"It put me back a little bit. Looking back in hindsight, I probably wouldn't have done that. If I'm thinking about myself and the injury, I probably would have said no. I've had this time to heal and obviously with South Africa being called off, it gave me a bit more time to get that strength work done," Warner was quoted as saying by AAP.
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At 34, Warner has a lot left to offer and he is expected to be a key candidate for Australia for the back-to-back T20 World Cups lined up this year and the one after. But his eye is on the 50-over World Cup which he and his teammates won in 2015. The 2023 World Cup in India will be Warner's third 50-over World Cup and the Australia opener is already gearing up for the event. As far as Test cricket is concerned, Warner hasn't put a cap on anything yet.
"We've got a good opportunity to play that (2023 World Cup) and win in India. The core team there, with the age group as well, it's probably going to be the last for a few of us. Then obviously it's a given you just have to call it time, unless you're going to play until you are 41. From a Test cricket point of view, I'd love to play as long as I can," he said.
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