'Wish Virat and I played in same team at some point': David Warner's special tribute to Kohli

David Warner wanted to play in the same team with Virat Kohli. (Photo: AFP)

They have been fierce competitors on the pitch for more than a decade and yet if there is one word that defines the relationship between Dave Warner and Virat Kohli it is respect. Warner, who retired a while back, was eloquent while speaking about Kohli and his Test retirement.

In this exclusive conversation with Boria Majumdar for Moneycontrol, Warner also said that one of his unfulfilled wishes was “to play with Virat in the same team. It will forever remain something that I wish had happened”.

Excerpts:

Boria- How do you look at Virat’s Test career now that he has called it a day. Interestingly both of you arrived on the scene in a big way in that 2011-12 India’s tour of Australia. While you scored that magical hundred in Perth, Virat scored a valiant 75 and followed it up with a hundred and that kind of marked the arrival of Virat Kohli.

David Warner- Yes you can say that for sure. We were both young and very passionate about what we were doing. He has always bled blue and has given it his 100 percent. That’s how he will always be remembered, a fierce competitor. We in Australia appreciate people who give it back. You kind of crave for it and want people to come back at you and do what you do to them. Virat always did that. I remember his hundred at the Adelaide Oval and also remember how desperately he wanted to win that game. That’s how he was and is. Since then there was no stopping him.

Boria- You have been a leader yourself. Under Virat India won some of its best Test matches overseas and the first ever Test series in Australia in 2018-19. Your thoughts on him as leader and captain.

David Warner- A very good leader of men. What I always look for in people is how you instil the steel in the team. Virat made the Indian team more competitive and that’s what his real legacy is about. He not only led from the front and scored lots of runs, his record speaks for itself, he always played to win. Nothing else would suffice had become the Indian motto and for that they owe it to Virat.

Boria- Do you think Test cricket, as a format, will miss Virat? I mean with all these franchise leagues you need players who continue to prioritise Test cricket.

David Warner- Virat was an excellent ambassador for the format. And that’s because he is one of the most hard working players you will see. We may have been playing for rival teams but this is something I have always respected in him. The attitude and the self belief. In fact, if you ask me I’d have wanted to play with Virat in the same team at least once. It would have been nice to do so. For the sheer energy and the passion, this will remain one of my unfulfilled wishes as a player.

Boria- Finally, do you agree with the timing of his retirement. All of India wanted him to play the England series and many believe he still had cricket left.

David Warner- I actually look at it differently. He is 36 years of age and surely he could have continued to play for two more years. But that is never the point. If you know you know is what I mean. One day you know that you are done and that’s the hardest call to take. It is about giving up something you so dearly love. That has sustained you all your life. And yet you want to be with family and a very young family at that. These are not easy choices to make. While I can’t speak for Virat I can imagine this could have been one of the reasons for him to take the call. And I congratulate him for being able to do so and taking it at a time when everyone wants him around rather than saying he should go. I wish him all the very best.

• Boria Majumdar is an eminent sports historian, journalist, and writer. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of Revsportz.