David Warner says IPL exposure helped Australia in World Cup final: The win wasn't by chance
David Warner went down the memory lane to Australia’s epic win in the World Cup 2023 final against Rohit Sharma’s India at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
In Short
- David Warner was a part of Australia’s 2023 World Cup-winning squad
- Warner scored only 7 runs in the final against India
- Australia beat India by 6 wickets in the final
David Warner said that Australia used their home tactics to beat India in the World Cup 2023 final last year. Back on November 19, the Aussies beat the Men in Blue by 6 wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Pat Cummins’ men got their hands on the title after ending India’s 10-match winning streak in the mega event.
Warner got out cheaply to Mohammed Shami after scoring only 7 runs off 3 balls. But Travis Head scored 137 runs off 120 balls to help Australia chase down the target of 241 with 7 overs to spare. Warner, who has retired from Tests and ODIs, said that his team tried to take singles and couples on the regular basis to keep the Indians in check.
“I think we embraced the fact that we didn't have anything to lose. We are fortunate to have understood the conditions and the venues from 2009. And Ahmedabad was the venue where the boundaries were similar to Australia,” Warner told R Ashwin on the latter’s YouTube channel.
“Our gameplan was structured around the MCG -- hit the pockets, run the twos and if we're bowling, bowl it to the chest and target the big boundaries. So for us, it was like Australian gameplan in India. That's what we thought about and tried to attack that situation.
“We had great experience in the group. It wasn't by chance we played the way we did, it was more because of the understanding of the wickets,” Warner said.
‘Helps to be part of the IPL’
Warner also said that playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has helped the Australian cricketers immensely as far as adjusting to the conditions in India is concerned.
“It helps; it definitely helps to be part of the IPL and playing on all these wickets. You understand the conditions, the type of the soil used, whether it's black soil or red soil. Is it going to turn in the first innings or turn in the second innings, you sort of get that great understanding,” Warner added.
Warner is currently in India where he is a part of the Rishabh Pant-led DC in the IPL.