IPL 2022: “Releasing David Warner Was SRH's Biggest Mistake” - Virender Sehwag While Reflecting On DC Opener’s IPL 2022 Form

Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag named the Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) choice to head out in different directions from former skipper David Warner as their ‘biggest mistake’. Sehwag expressed that any issues there were between the Aussie and the administration might have been figured out and SRH ought to have accommodated the match-victor in front of IPL 2022.

SRH terminated the Australian opener as skipper halfway through the last IPL season and dropped him from the playing XI also for the last not many matches of the season. The 35-year-old wasn’t held and returned to the auction, where he was bought by his previous franchise, the Delhi Capitals (DC) for ₹6.25 crore.

SRH Management Should Have Backed David Warner: Virender Sehwag

The veteran left-hander has had a magnificent IPL 2022 season, scoring 427 runs in 11 matches at an average of 53.38 and a strike rate of 151.96. Warner will be critical to DC’s fortunes when the franchise takes on the Mumbai Indians (MI) on Saturday in a must-win match. While talking about the match on Cricbuzz, Sehwag shared his views on the Aussie opener’s prolific run and said:

“Releasing David Warner has been Sunrisers Hyderabad’s biggest mistake. They should never have let him go, irrespective of what happened. If an Indian captain makes a statement, the selectors don’t remove him or sack him.

SRH management should have backed Warner, which they did not do. If they had, he would still have been with the franchise.”

One Bad Season Does Not Make You A Bad Cricketer: Virender Sehwag

Sehwag further brought up that any cricketer can have a frustrating season, however, that doesn’t make him a terrible cricketer. Giving the example of Virat Kohli, he said:

“Anyone can have a poor season. Virat Kohli only recently scored that fifty, otherwise his season has been really bad. That doesn’t mean Bangalore must release him.”

Warner played eight games for SRH in IPL 2021, scoring 195 runs at an average of 24.37 and a strike rate of 107.73. He communicated his dismay at how he was treated by the franchise in a meeting recently.

David Warner Is Now Controlling Games: Virender Sehwag

Commending the Aussie left-hander for adding another aspect to his game, Sehwag expressed that the 35-year-old has become capable of changing his batting to suit the team’s requirements. The former India opener explained:

“Warner has modified his game. He plays according to the situation. He started with attacking cricket but now he is controlling the game as well and tries to stay till the end, which is a sign of a very good player.”

Warner was excused for a golden duck in DC’s past IPL 2022 match against the Punjab Kings (PBKS). The team, nonetheless, recuperated to enroll a vital 17-run success.

Also Read: IPL 2022: Selectors Thought Chosen Players Were Better Than Me: Shikhar Dhawan Opens Up On T20 WC 2021 Snub