David Warner rides the wave of chance to soak in love from all corners of the world

With most, things happen once. With David Warner, the nightmare of 2018 repeated itself in 2021. Stripped of the Sunrisers Hyderabad captaincy, not in his wildest imagination could he have envisioned being dropped from the team he had captained to IPL glory just four years earlier.

For those who enjoy numbers, Warner has scored close to 50% of the runs for his team and has been the best player by a mile. None of this was considered, however, and he was even asked to stay back in the hotel when his team was playing the last few games of the IPL.

While refusing to answer what exactly transpired, a hurt and humiliated Warner said -

“When you are dropped from the team you have loved the most for years without any real fault of yours and stripped of captaincy without being given a reason it hurts. At the same time there are no complaints mate. The fans in India have always been there for me and it is for them that you play. We play to entertain. We play to push for excellence."

"Whatever may have been the reason for me not finding a spot in an IPL team, I can tell you in all honesty I was working the hardest and training the hardest I ever did. Not a single day did a miss. Sport is a great leveller and if you are true to the sport and keep working hard you will always have a second chance. I just wanted to keep working the hardest and stay true. I am glad it worked out for me.”

I have spoken to David almost every week over the last few years. And I have seen the transformation from a state of complete hopelessness to gradually getting back hope. I have heard him say his wife Candice had two miscarriages in a short span of time and life could never be the same again.

There is little debate that he has his side of the story, but that has never come out. Chances are it will not. In 2018, he had to cancel multiple trips to India because he wasn’t sure if he was welcome. He dropped out of multiple events back home in Australia because he feared a backlash from fans. He wasn’t welcome in his own home and it couldn’t get any worse. Or so he thought. In all honesty it did.

David Warner turns inward to close out external noise

David Warner credits his wife Candice (R) for sticking by him in tough times

In 2021, he was not allowed to travel to the ground with his team and even carry drinks. On days when he did come to the ground he was sitting in the stands with his team flag and smiling for the cameras.

That’s when Warner turned inward, to his family. To Candice and the children. To a few friends who stood by him and held his hand. He started to practice and soon was training hard. Few have ever worked harder. After each game that he was dropped from, he put in more and more in the nets.

He knew the T20 World Cup 2021 was round the corner and the world would be watching. He knew he had another opportunity, which could well be his last. He had to make it back to the cricket pitch to prove there was and is a lot more to him than all the controversies.

He did, and even won the World Cup for Australia. And in the ongoing Ashes he has done reasonably well setting it up for his team in the first two Tests. That’s how he is - combative, passionate and above all resilient. That’s what I figured out in #BackstageWithBoria.

Hope all who have seen the interview and read the stories have now got a glimpse of the real David Warner.