IPL 2017, Match 37, SRH v KKR: CT Player of the Match - David Warner

Two attacking line-ups were set for a Sunday night blockbuster as defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad took on table toppers Kolkata Knight Riders. 11 overs into the game Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper David Warner left no one wondering who would bag the CT Player of the Match award.

Despite the Knight Riders possessing one of the best bowling attacks in the tournament, they had no answer to Warner’s ferocious 126 off 59 balls. Playing in front of his home crowd, the Aussie dasher enthralled a packed Hyderabad stadium with a whirlwind knock to blow the Knight Riders away.

The onslaught begins

Sunrisers Hyderabad were put in to bat by KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir, only to face Warner’s wrath from the very first over. There was not a hint of respite from the left-hander, as he took each and every bowler to the cleaners.

Chris Woakes was brought in to bowl the 3rd over, and Warner decided to greet him with 17 runs off his first. He began the over with a boundary and smashed 2 humongous sixes. To slow things down Gambhir threw the ball to Yusuf Pathan but it made no difference either. The part-time off-spinner went for 17 in his first over as well.

Before anyone could settle down, Warner got to his fifty off just 20 balls. A switch-hit against Sunil Narine sailed over short third man and brought up yet another half century for the man in form. Warner was well set and had already put on an exhibition of ridiculously good batting.

Earth-shattering 100

A set of records tumbling was on the cards. Warner took on the quicks to deposit the ball into the stands. The 9th over of the innings saw the Sunrisers Hyderabad openers put on yet another hundred runs for the opening wicket. All this while the batsman at the other end Shikhar Dhawan, perhaps had the best seat in the house to watch Warner’s carnage.

At the end of 9 overs though, Warner was on 81 while Dhawan was still at a run-a-ball 18. How about that for a partnership! Four, six, six off Kuldeep’s last three deliveries of the 10th, and he had moved to 98. The special moment came in the final ball of the 11th over. Warner worked the ball to deep mid-wicket and run the first one hard. He raced back to the second, took off his helmet and soaked everything in.

Hyderabad witnessed Warner’s signature celebration, a skip and a jump all in sync. It was a monumental effort. A century off just 43 balls was simply a formidable achievement from the SRH skipper.

Warner continues

KKR finally struck with a run-out as Dhawan departed after playing a supporting hand to Warner’s blitzkrieg. The skipper though wasn’t done yet. He was joined by Kane Williamson. Excellent running between the wickets by the duo kept the already exploding scoreboard ticking. Warner then smothered Narine for three consecutive boundaries in the 16th.

Sadly, as they say, all good things must come to an end, and so did David Warner’s inning. He sliced a slower ball from Woakes, only to settle it into Gambhir’s hands at cover. That was the end of a sensational knock from one of the most destructive batsmen in limited-overs cricket. 126 runs, 59 balls, 10 boundaries, 8 sixes and a strike rate of 213.55 – a bow was the only thing that one could have offered him.

Warner, of course, stole the show. The little Aussie bloke couldn’t put a foot wrong in that colossal innings. However, nothing that he did at the crease was unlike himself. He played typical Warner shots, picked his areas and pierced the gaps.

His mammoth innings powered Sunrisers to 209. Eventually, SRH bowlers backed the skipper well to restrict the Knight Riders to 161. Awesome, in its true sense, was the one word that could sum up David Warner’s knock.