Published 19:10 IST, April 6th 2020
Waqar Younis says Smith & Warner's absence made India's 2018 Aus Test series win easier
Former Pakistani speedster Waqar Younis has said that Steve Smith and David Warner's absence made India's 2018 Test series win in Australia easier
Waqar Younis has come forward and said that India's 2018 Test series win in Australia had a lot to do with the absence of Steve Smith and David Warner's absence. The duo was suspended for 12 months due to their involvement in the infamous ball-tampering scandal in March 2018 in South Africa which had shocked the cricket world. Smith and Warner were also stripped from captaincy and vice-captaincy posts.
'They played well but...': Waqar Younis
"I am not trying to take away any credit from India, they played well and they are a very good side. But yes at same time when they won in Australia, there is no doubt that Australian cricket was going through a turmoil and there were problems in their dressing room. And they were without Steve Smith and David Warner," Waqar said during a video conference.
India beat Australia in an edge of the seat thriller in the first Test at the Adelaide Oval but, the Aussies went on to register an emphatic 146-run win to level the four-match series. However, it was Virat Kohli and India who had the last laugh as they registered a 2-1 series win. By the virtue of this win, the Indian team ended up winning their maiden Test series Down Under. Kohli & Co. would then go on to beat the Aussies in the three-match ODI series that followed and won their first-ever bilateral ODI series on Australian soil.
India tour of Australia 2020
India will once again be facing Australia Down Under in a four-match Test series which will get underway after the conclusion of the ICC T20 World Cup in November. It remains to be seen whether Kohli & Co. can repeat the heroics of 2018 when they take on a full-strength Aussie side.
(With PTI Inputs)
Updated 19:10 IST, April 6th 2020