'Warner used to say 'you will be dropped'. I replied...': Dhawan reveals epic story from India vs Australia Tests

Shikhar Dhawan revealed a story about sledging from David Warner during India vs Australia Tests.

Team India's star opener Shikhar Dhawan had been an integral part of the side across all formats till 2018. Following his exclusion from the Test team, Dhawan continued to play a key role for the Indian team in the limted-overs formats and produced brilliant performances in the 2019 World Cup until a finger injury cut-short his campaign at the tournament during a group match against Australia. In 2021, Dhawan lost his place in the T20I side and earlier this year, the opener also remained absent from the squad in the ODI series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

Shikhar Dhawan (L) with David Warner (IPL)

Nevertheless, Dhawan goes down in history as one of the best Indian openers, especially in the ODIs. The left-handed opener has represented the side in 167 ODIs and 68 T20Is so far, while making 34 appearances in the longest format of the game. While Dhawan had made an exemplary start to his Test career – smashing a quickfire 187 in his very first innings against Australia – the opener eventually lost his place in the side after inconsistent performances in 2018.

However, Dhawan has remained a part of many of India's memorable wins at home and overseas, and during an interview with The Lallantop, the opener looked back at his time with the Indian team in whites. As he recollected some memories of his Test career, Dhawan also revealed an anecdote about Australia's opener David Warner, with whom he had shared the dressing room at Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League.

Dhawan stated that Warner used to sledge him, and further revealed how he used to react to the Australian star's jibe.

"Opponents will try to break you mentally, especially in Test matches. Warner used to do that a lot. He told me, "Your place in the Indian team isn't fixed. You will be dropped!" But then, I also used to sledge him back," Dhawan said.

"He was a gambling addict at one time. So I used to press that nerve. I would reply, "you will go back to gambling, you will become an addict again. You will sell everything." See, it's a rivalry! These things keep happening," Dhawan further said as he let out a chuckle.

Dhawan also said England's legendary fast bowler James Anderson tries to distract batters with sledging as well. “Anderson sledges a lot as well. But all of this happens only during a batter's initial stay at the crease. Once he reaches the 30-40 run mark, the opponents stop trying because they know he's set. It's quite usual in Test cricket,” said Dhawan.