Can Warner explode?

In just one session, the southpaw can alter a match

Key player David Warner shouldering a big responsibility will boost Australia’s prospects in the series.

While a majority of the Australia contingent slogged it out in the optional net session at the Braboune Stadium on Thursday morning, David Warner, along with Usman Khawaja, Steve O’Keefe, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, preferred to take it easy.

Later in the day, the swashbuckling batsman even headed out to a popular toy store.

“Very big kid!!!”, he wrote while posting a picture from the toy store on Instagram. He might channel his inner child, but the left-hander realises that if Australia is to pose a stiff challenge to India in the forthcoming four-Test series, he will have to shoulder a very big responsibility.

Like Virender Sehwag, he is an opener who can affect a match, or even a series, with one solid session. Australia will hope he continues his exploits from the New Year’s Test against Pakistan, where he raced to a hundred in the opening session of the match.

Hoping for onslaught

Steve Smith and Co. will hope for a similar onslaught up front in the series.

History doesn’t flatter Warner, though. Despite his belligerent performances in the IPL, he had a sub-par Test series in India four years ago, scoring 195 runs from eight innings. Soon after the 2013 tour marred by ‘Homework-gate’, Warner was involved in a pub brawl with England’s Joe Root during the Champions Trophy.

The transformation

However, with the aid of his team-mates and wife, Candice, Warner has transformed himself into a dependable personality, on and off the field.

His makeover has been so cosmic that his nickname has changed from “The Bull” to “The Reverend”.

In his new avatar, Warner has emerged as one of the most destructive — and, more importantly, reliable — opening batsmen. He tallied more than 1,000 runs in two successive calendar years, 2014 and 2015.

Even though he had a slight dip in 2016, tallying 748 runs at 41.56, the start to 2017 has Australian fans believing that Warner can give India a hard time.

The precursor to Warner’s challenge against R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will be on display for the next three days during Australia’s warm-up game against India A.

If Warner can handle Shahbaz Nadeem and K. Gowtham, it will augur well for himself and his team.

In six weeks’ time, we will know whether The Reverend has lived up to his new-found reputation.