Thaindian News

Melbourne, Nov 29 (IANS) Explosive Australian batsman David Warner is all set to make his Test debut after playing his first limited overs game almost three years ago. And he credits none other than India’s Virender Sehwag for his first cap in the longer format.

Warner is most likely to make it to the Australian playing eleven for the first Test against New Zealand beginning at the Gabba Thursday with regular opener Shane Watson out of action due to an injury.

Playing for the Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League, Sehwag in a discussion two years ago suggested to Warner that he would make a better batsman in Tests. Warner was completely taken aback at Sehwag’s prediction as he hadn’t even represented New South Wales in a four-day match.

“When I went to Delhi, Sehwag watched me a couple of times and said to me, ‘You will be a better Test cricketer than what you will be a Twenty20 player’,” Warner was quoted saying by the Sydney Morning Herald Tuesday.

“I basically looked at him and said, ‘Mate, I haven’t even played a first-class game yet’. But he said, ‘All the fielders are around the bat, if the ball is there in your zone. you are still going to hit it. You are going to have ample opportunity to score runs’.”

Sehwag is one of the most feared openers in the sport today and will be part of the Indian contingent that take on Australia in the series Down Under.

Warner says that he will follow the same brand of attacking cricket that Sehwag endorses, showing caution to the good balls while trying to smash the bad ones.

“Sehwag always says that the more balls that you see, you are going to be tempted to try and score runs. But you have just got to keep in the back of your mind what your zones are,” Warner said.