David Warner breaks silence on disastrous tour of India; 'Selectors feel that I'm not...'

David Warner was ruled out of the remaining two games of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 after suffering a concussion during the second Test in Delhi. He suffered blows on his body, facing Indian speedster Mohammed Siraj and was replaced by Matt Renshaw for the remainder of the Delhi Test. Days after he was sent back home for recovery from the hairline fracture on his elbow, Warner has opened up on his future in the longest format of the game.

Speaking to reporters after arriving in Sydney on Thursday, Warner revealed he is not feeling any pressure and eyes to play international cricket until 2023 even if the selectors decide to end his prolific run in Test cricket. The 36-year-old believes he is the right man to open for Australia during the Ashes tour later this year. Warner has notably scored only one Test century in the last three years.

"I'm taking pressure off the rest of the other guys"

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in Sydney, Warner said, “I've always said I'm playing to 2024; if the selectors feel that I'm not worthy of my spot, then so be it, and I can push on to the white-ball stuff. I've got the next 12 months, a lot of cricket's ahead for the team and if I can keep scoring runs and putting my best foot forward for the team and I can help my spot, it'd be great for the team”.

The explosive left-handed batsman shed light on his age and explained, “It's easy pickings [for critics] when you're 36 going on 37. I've seen it before with the ex-players as well. So for me, if I'm taking pressure off the rest of the other guys, and no one's worrying about the rest of the team, I'm happy to do that."

This comes after Australia selector Tony Dodemaide declined to commit to Warner for the five-match Test tour of England in June. As reported by ESPN Cricinfo, Tony said, “We're worried about what we can get out of these remaining two Tests [in India], obviously that's a clear focus for us at the moment. We'll address the Ashes planning [at a later time], but we are committed to picking the best fit and available players for Test series, particularly something as big as the Ashes”.

Australia is currently down by 2-0 in the four-match Test series against India. The series kicked off with India winning by an innings and 132 runs in Nagpur. India then retained the Border-Gavaskar trophy by winning the Delhi Test by six wickets and taking an unassailable 2-0 lead. The third Test is scheduled to begin in Indore from March 1 onwards.