Warner kills WACA demons
After blasting the second-fastest Test century at the WACA Ground Australian opener David Warner said Friday he went into the third Test against India with serious doubts about his ability to perform in Perth.
The WACA Ground is renowned for its pace and bounce and Warner had little experience in Perth heading into the match, having not previously played a first-class game here.
His fears were compounded when he struggled for form in the nets before the match, culminating in being bowled by Mitchell Starc.
"I said 'I give up, I can't work in this environment'," he said of his reaction when Starc bowled him.
"I couldn't lay bat on ball.
"I also said to (teammate) Mike Hussey that I'd batted here a couple of times and not scored any runs."
Warner cast aside those form doubts to launch a blistering attack on the Indian bowlers, reaching his century in just 69 balls and less than a session at the crease.
He brought up his second ton in five Tests, and the equal fourth-fastest in Test history, with a booming hit over long-on from debutant Vinay Kumar for his third six of the innings.
The New South Welshman believes the turning point was his decision to have a bat during the optional net session on the eve of the Test.
"It wasn't the pace and bounce, it was my head and my balance and getting still," he said.
"JL (batting coach Justin Langer) and (coach) Mickey Arthur said I was falling away and over my front leg.
"That is what I was working on this week.
"I found it in the last session, I wasn't going to have an optional net, I was going to stay at home and clear my mind.
"But I said to myself I really needed to go down there and have that last hit and I hit for two hours."
The only setback for Warner was when he was hit in the head by Umesh Yadav on 80 and appeared groggy as play was stopped for a few minutes for treatment.
However, it took him just seven more balls after the resumption to reach his century.
Warner said banter with Indians Virat Kohli and Ishant Sharma early in his innings only helped motivate him and his fellow opener Ed Cowan.
"Virat was saying to us 'you can talk about your averages and this and that but when we go to India it's going to be a different story'," Warner recounted.
"With myself and Ed, if you start having a go at us we actually enjoy that. "We love a little contest out there and we love to grind it back in their faces and that's what we've done today."
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