Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra feels David Warner is the soul of Australia’s T20I team and if he doesn’t play then the team becomes half.
Warner is a livewire on the field and always gives more than 100% to the team. The southpaw also scored a crucial knock of 49 runs off just 30 balls in the second semi-final against Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
The left-hander scored three fours and as many sixes as he batted at the top of his game. Australia lost the early wicket of Aaron Finch and Warner was able to get a crucial alliance with Mitchell Marsh.
Warner has been under the pump for his form in the last few months but he has been able to deliver the goods for the team in the ongoing T20 World Cup.
Aakash Chopra said while talking on his YouTube Channel, “If the Australian T20 team is a body, David Warner is its soul. If he doesn’t play, the team becomes half. But when he plays, we say form is temporary, David Warner is permanent and he is class when we talk about this format.”
However, Chopra was not impressed with Warner hitting Mohammad Hafeez for a six when the ball had slipped out of the off-spinners’ hand.
“He has been very very good. He played an amazing counter-attacking knock. He was just keeping Australia in the game. There was one moment though which broke my heart. The ball slipped out of Hafeez’s hands, who hits like that, I have never seen anyone do that even in Ranji Trophy but he hit a six.”
On the other hand, Chopra heaped praise on Matthew Wade and Marcus Stoinis who added the finishing touches for Australia. Wade smashed 41 off just 17 balls while Stoinis scored 31-ball 40 to get their team over the line.
“After that Shadab took four wickets – it was game, set, match and all of that, in which Maxwell, Smith, and Warner also got out. What else do you want? But after that Wade was there with Stoinis.”
“The game was in the balance there as well because Wade was going at run-a-ball, Stoinis was hitting but Wade was keeping Pakistan in the game. And that is when the Hasan Ali over which also had a no-ball. After that, a Haris Rauf over and then there was a catch dropped by Hasan Ali, the heart was broken, it was not a white-colored ball but probably the trophy. Then three sixes, it was incredible hitting.”
Australia will face New Zealand in the final of the T20 World Cup in Dubai on Sunday.
