IND vs AUS 2022-23: India and Australia will clash for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in February 2023. Meanwhile, David Warner aims to win the series to serve as extra motivation for Ashes 2023 in England.
Fierce opener David Warner returned to form with a double century in Australia's thumping win over South Africa in the Boxing Day Test. Meanwhile, he has said he's not done yet and has the "extra motivation" to do well in the highly-anticipated India series and the Ashes next year. Warner, who had said that Test cricket might be the first to "fall off" in his international career, shrugged off a prolonged lean phase to come up with a double century in their innings and 182-run win over South Africa.
"I wish you would stop telling me my age. I don't feel 36. I'm running faster than many of these youngsters in [the dressing room]. So, when they catch up, I might think about pulling the pin. The extra motivation for me is winning in India and completely winning a series in England. I've been told by the coach and the selectors they'd like me to be there. I still know what energy I can bring to the team," Warner said after the MCG Test ended in four days.
ALSO WATCH: Rishabh Pant makes narrow escape in deadly car crash
On his Test career, Warner said: "Were there doubts? Yeah, of course, there were doubts in my mind. But, it was about just going out there and knowing that I've still got that hunger and determination because every time I rock up the training, I've got it. Once I've started losing that spark and energy around training and, you know, taking the mickey out of people, playing some jokes here and there, I think that's when I probably know it's time."
Australia will take on India in four Tests, with the series opener scheduled in Nagpur on February 9. "We know what we're going to prepare for. They're going to be turning wickets. It's different with the venues. Nagpur and Delhi are pretty dry, then Dharamsala that time of the year, we've played there, and we probably should have won that Test, but we lost that ourselves," Warner reckoned.
"There's going to be times when it's going to be challenging over there, but it's about how our batters can build and bat big as we did in Pakistan. I think with the ball, we're going to do a fantastic job, we've got a world-class spinner in Nathan Lyon, and we're going to have to potentially think about playing two spinners," continued Warner.
"Obviously, in Sri Lanka, we had good methods, and we saw in that first Test in Galle, everyone was playing reverse sweeps and sweeps, everyone had a method, and they stuck to it," Warner added. Asked if this would be Australia's best chance to win that elusive Test series in India, Warner said, "Shall I start the headlines now, before we go over there? I did remember somebody talking about a two-day Test the other week. It's going to be interesting."
Fed up with Cricket Australia's (CA's) "public trial" to lift his leadership ban from the South Africa ball-tampering scandal, Warner recently had an outburst and said his family couldn't be a "washing machine for cricket's dirty laundry". "That's all parked now. I don't have to worry about that. Not even thinking about it. Focus is now towards Sydney and getting myself right for the BBL [Big Bash League]," he concluded.
(With inputs from PTI)