David Warner in action against CSK in the IPL.
© BCCI
David Warner was struggling in Sunrisers Hyderabad's chase of 210 against Chennai Super Kings in their first game of the Indian Premier League this season. But the stocky Australian opener must have felt a sense of panic when he wore a short ball from Ishwar Pandey on the side of his helmet. The hit might have brought back memories of the Phillip Hughes episode, who died after being knocked on the head by Sean Abbott during a Sheffield Shield match in November last year.(Match Report | Scorecard | Highlights)
Warner was on the field when his close friend and Aussie teammate Hughes collapsed after being hit on the head by a bouncer. Despite the best efforts of the doctors, Hughes lost his life two days later and the news sent shockwaves through the cricketing world. Warner, known for his aggressive on-field persona, was seen leaving the Sydney hospital where Hughes was treated, in tears.
It took some serious counselling from the Australian team management for Warner to forget that dreadful episode and move ahead. Many had felt he would appear much softer on the field but there was no holding back Warner, who dominated India during the Test series and was involved in heated exchanges with Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma. In fact, the left-hander had to be warned by Cricket Australia to change his confrontational attitude.
It remains to be seen how the incident on Saturday will affect Warner in long run. Soon after getting hit, he brought up his 17th IPL fifty and perished for the team's cause after contributing 53.
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