New Delhi: Former batter David Warner has said that the responsibility for scoring runs for Australia in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy doesn’t fall solely on opener Usman Khawaja but on the entire top six, who need to deliver big to ease the workload on the team’s pace attack.
Khawaja has had a torrid start to the series, managing just 34 runs across the first two Tests. His inability to convert starts has been part of a longer slump, with just one fifty in his last 16 innings for Australia. However, Khawaja isn’t alone in his struggles. Steve Smith has contributed a mere 19 runs in three innings, while Marnus Labuschagne secured his position with a gritty 64 in Adelaide.
“I think the pressure is on all the top order, not just ‘Uzzie’. Travis came out and counterpunched and scored a brilliant hundred, and we know he’s capable of doing it. But it’s everyone else around supporting that. It’s not just one player in particular, it’s the top six scoring bulk runs and making sure you’re giving rest to the fast bowlers. It was a fast-paced Test in the first game, but this last one was Mitchell Starc at his best as usual with the pink ball,” Warner told Fox Sports.
Warner also threw his support behind Nathan McSweeney, who has had a challenging initiation against India’s bowling attack. Despite scoring only 39 runs in the first innings in Adelaide, Warner praised McSweeney’s temperament and technique.
“We saw glimpses the other day of the intent that you show when you’re scoring. There are a lot of question marks around why they chose him, but the glimpses that you’ve seen, we now know why. He’s got a good temperament; I like the way he sets up, and I think he’s got a good future ahead of him,” said Warner.
With the five-match series currently levelled at 1-1, the third Test is scheduled from December 14 to 18 in Brisbane.
–IANS