Published 23:49 IST, June 3rd 2023
'You never write off a great player': Usman Khawaja on his opening partner
India are set to face Australia in the World Test Championship final at the Oval on 7th June. Ahead of the final, Usman Khawaja has backed his opening partner.
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India is scheduled to entertain Australia in the WTC final at the Oval. The One-off final will start on 7th June as the men in blue will be keen to lay their hands on that coveted trophy. But they seem to have a tough task at their disposal in the summit clash.
David Warner has been Australia's backbone in all three formats, ODI, Test, and T20Is, for the last several years. The Delhi Capitals skipper has been included in the WTC final squad and has also retained his place in the Ashes squad. He endured a tough Border-Gavaskar Trophy having accumulated only 26 runs in the recently held Test series.
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Usman Khawaja betting big on David Warner ahead of WTC Final
But his opening partner Usman Khawaja revealed the player still has the caliber to inflict damage on the opposition ranks. Warner already stated that the next home Test series against Pakistan in January will be his last and cricket lovers might expect some fireworks in his remaining matches.
"I have seen him bat in the last couple of days and I don't want to jinx him, but he is looking good.
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"This is probably the best I have seen him look in the nets for a while. That doesn't always correlate to runs, but if we are any chance of Davey Warner scoring runs this could be it."
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"He always plays his best when his back is against the wall too. We saw when he scored a double century in his 100th game when everyone was writing him off and telling him he was done and it was his last game and he went out and gets 200."
"You never write off a great player, so I am expecting runs."
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"I'm picked here for a series to play cricket. No one has spoken to me about any situation. I'm just here as an opening batter to continue my decade-long career."
Australia squad for WTC final
Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Josh Inglis, Todd Murphy, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner.
Reserves: Mitch Marsh, Matt Renshaw
23:49 IST, June 3rd 2023