‘Who Says I’m Finished?’

A DAVID WARNER post on X caught my attention first thing on the morning of November 20. He had quote-posted a poster that said: “David Warner’s ODI World Cup career ends with a glorious record.” His quote read: “Who said I’m finished?”

Very Warner. Rebellious and forthright. He is someone who has always taken his own calls. Right or wrong, and taken pride in owning his decisions. And a decision such as retirement will definitely be his own personal call.

A call to Davey was in order. He was boarding a flight, so the conversation was brief. But it was a fascinating one, which allowed us an insight into the mind of the man.

Many congratulations on a fantastic World Cup win. Has it sunk in that you are world champions again after [the T20I World Cup in] 2021?

Few had given us a chance and believed we could do it. We did. Never did we believe we can’t. India had played fantastic cricket and it was always going to be tough to beat them. But we always had the self-belief.

In terms of your fielding, you are 37 now but you clearly seem to have an alternate career as a sprinter. How?

(Laughs). I am 37 years of age, mate, and I just love my fielding. Fitness and fielding help you challenge yourself. It is something I take a lot of pride in. Again, it is something you can control. It is entirely on you to decide how many times you will dive. For me, it is about enjoying myself and fielding is something I absolutely love. When a ball is racing towards you and you are racing towards it to stop it, there is a certain thrill to the whole thing. You challenge your body by doing so. And if you are successful, sometimes you will not be, it gives you great satisfaction.

A word on the kind of fan support you received right through the World Cup.

You know it very well, I just adore Indian fans. They have given me and the family tremendous love and affection. We have never felt alien in India, and I just love coming back. The culture, the food, the people, we as a family are grateful to all our fans in India for the respect and love. Let me also say it was a great tournament where India played great cricket.

I know you are in a hurry to board a flight. You have pulled out of the T20 series, so clearly you must need some rest. But I have seen a quote by you that says, “Who says I am fin­ished?” Am I then right in saying you aren’t giving up on the 50-over game just yet?

(Laughs). It is a very personal decision, mate. I have the right to take this call. And yes, I am not giving up just yet. We have just won a World Cup. If I do something like this at this point, it is all about me. For me, it has never been about me. It is always my team. We as a team did all the hard work and we deserve to celebrate it as a team. I don’t want to do anything that takes the focus away from the team at this point. Anything personal can wait. So yes, you can surely say, mate, that I am not finished yet.

About The Author

Boria Majumdar

Boria Majumdar is a sport journalist and the author of, among other titles, Eleven Gods and a Billion Indians. He is a contributor to Open

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