'Sachin Tendulkar, a master of straight drives… someone like Virat Kohli': David Warner builds his 'perfect batter'
Australia opener David Warner built his ‘perfect batter’, using the skill set of the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.
Considered to be one of the greatest batters in modern cricket, David Warner grabbed a double hundred on Day 2 of the ongoing second Test match between Australia and South Africa. The opener was in dominant form in Melbourne and slammed 200 runs off 255 balls, packed with 16 fours and two sixes. After his double hundred, an emotional and exhausted Warner departed for the pavilion and retired hurt, due to cramps.
On reaching his double hundred, Warner also became the first Aussie to do so in his 100th Test outing. With many fans and experts calling him one of the best cricketers in the world, Warner recently opened up about his ‘perfect batter’, built on the signature elements of other current and former players.
Speaking on Fox Cricket, he picked Sachin Tendulkar, for his straight drives and cover drives, and also Virat Kohli. "I would probably go as far to say as Viv Richards. His backfoot cover drive, almost similar to Steve Waugh. I would put that into Sachin Tendulkar. He was a master of straight drives and normal cover drives. The other one's I would probably like to say, you got some heat there. I like watching AB de Villiers, a 360 degree player. So he is another guy that you could mirror in with someone like Virat Kohli. These two guys, their shots go hand in hand", he said.
With three players in Warner’s list already retired, Kohli is the only player active currently. The former India captain was part of the victorious Test series vs Bangladesh. He was also part of India’s semi-final run in this year’s T20 World Cup. Despite their semi-final defeat vs England, Kohli finished as the tournament's highest run-scorer, becoming the first player to be the leading run-getter in multiple T20 World Cups (2014, 2022). The swashbuckling batter smacked 296 runs in six innings for India, with a high score of 82*. He also clattered a half-century in the semi-finals but couldn't prevent a defeat for India.