David Warner reminisces emotional trauma after poor subcontinent tours

Be it any sport, every athlete has to face tough challenges in the journey. Australian cricketer David Warner has earned immense success over the years but has gone through several highs and lows in his entire international career. He has probably seen everything that the game of cricket could offer, on and off the field.

The legendary cricketer, who has played 101 Tests, has amassed 25 Test hundreds at an average of 46.20. His performances at Australian grounds have earned him laurels, but his performances overseas have drawn criticism. His average in Tests away from home is 32.78, as compared to 58.39 at home and he has notably found it difficult on the Indian pitches.

Warner’s highest score on Indian soil is 71 and he averages 24.25 in the country. He has scored 19 centuries at home, and six away from home but has not managed to achieve the milestone in India. Warner, who had earned the moniker "the Bull" for his aggressive batting style and commanding demeanor, revealed it himself to the cameras, in a way that viewers and fans had never seen before.

Amazon Prime Video documented team Australia’s journey and released the second season of The Test, where Warner opened up about his journey and admitted to keeping a journal and looking back on one entry during the first two Test matches of the now-famous "Sandpapergate" series in South Africa, which had got him banned.

“Some good memories and some not-so-good memories. It’s got a lot of good positive affirmations that I stand by every day,” he said in the video.

However, camera snaps of the aforementioned diary actually show some less intellectual ideas. One of the entry, dated August 27, 2017 read:

“I am done. 1 game to go and never again touring subcontinent. Too much stress on my mind that I don’t need.”

While playing against Bangladesh, Warner fell prey to Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s spell and had to walk back scoring mere eight runs in the first Test at Chattogram. Warner had just returned from a challenging Test tour of India in which he averaged 24.12 and only once reached 50. Warner referred to his memories of the 2016 tour of Sri Lanka as "f**king s**t," seeing it as another example of his difficulties playing Test teams in the subcontinent.

“Memories were horrible. I was getting beaten both sides of the bat with the spinning ball,” he recalled.

While Warner may face difficulties with the red ball in India on the forthcoming Test tour, he has enjoyed playing limited-overs cricket there. He bagged the Orange Cap in the IPL 2017 after finishing with most runs in the tournament, the same year he said he would "never again" tour the subcontinent. 

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