Delhi: Pat Cummins has guaranteed David Warner will play the second Test, but he is at risk of being the first man out as part of a generational change in Australian cricket if the visitors suffer another defeat.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is on the line this week at the stadium formerly known as Feroz Shah Kotla. It is also a significant moment for one of the finest openers this country has produced.
David Warner trudges off in the first innings in Nagpur.Credit:Getty Images
If the retirements of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer at the end of the 2006-07 Ashes heralded the beginning of the end for the golden generation, then defeat may also expedite the changing of the guard.
The chance of winning the series would be gone, and so too would this team’s shot at emulating the champion side of the 2000s by conquering Australian cricket’s final frontier.
With Usman Khawaja also 36, and Steve Smith 33, Australia’s top six needs regeneration or the team risks falling off a cliff. Matthew Renshaw’s recall and Marcus Harris’ presence as a spare batter back home suggest they have been earmarked as replacements at the top.
A maverick, Warner has done things his way. He must know he will not succeed if pinned to the crease by Ravichandran Ashwin as he was in Nagpur, where he laboured to two from 38 balls and was dropped by Virat Kohli before inevitably meeting his demise, on 10.
“I don’t think they’ve [selectors] had a meeting, but I’m sure Davey will be there,” Cummins said. “You saw this year at the Boxing Day Test when he puts pressure back on the opposition he’s pretty hard to bowl to. You don’t get as many good balls, so he knows that. I’m sure that’d be part of his plan.
“He has been batting really well here. Even in the lead-up I thought he was fantastic. I know there’s a lot of talk about spin bowling through the middle but with that new ball it’s sometimes the hardest time to bat as well.”
The trademark swagger and bravado was still there before the double ton in his landmark 100th Test in Melbourne, which, with every knock since, appears more like an aberration than a sign of a resurgence. It has not been evident the past two weeks.
A confident Warner is rarely sighted outside of compulsory sessions, yet there he was earlier this week – on a dry and crusty practice pitch against local net bowlers searching for answers he may never find. Sandpaper fiasco aside, never has there been so much uncertainty over his place in the side.
With seven players over the age of 30 playing last week, this is an ageing Australian team that, understandably, has been picked for the here and now.
An astute judge with an appreciation of selection history and the benefits of having a settled squad, George Bailey will be more aware than most the dangers of having too many veterans retire at the one time.
His predecessor, Trevor Hohns, was in charge in the early 2000s when he pensioned off the Waugh twins in the space of just over 12 months. They conquered India not long after.
Warner’s situation is not dissimilar to that of Steve Waugh, who had been in steady decline before his iconic last-ball-of-the-day century in the 2003 Sydney Test against England. The pugnacious opener may need a similar knock in Delhi to buy some time.
Whereas Waugh had the comforts of the track he grew up on and an adoring Sydney crowd cheering every run, the low and slow spin-friendly conditions here are in stark contrast with the hard and fast strips of home where he averages more than all-time greats Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden and Greg Chappell.
Warner can save his career and book a ticket to the Ashes with a big score, regardless of the team’s performance. Twin failures in another defeat may well see him out. To borrow the words of Dylan Thomas, can he rage against the dying of the light?
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