By now, everyone is doing the “Pushpa dance” in world cricket.
Shakib, Dwayne Bravo, Ishan Kishan and Surya Kumar Yadav are few of the most recent ones doing it.
But this piece is not about them.
It’s about the man who started this trend- David Warner.
Like every story in cricket, this “back” story is more interesting than what we see on screen.
Let’s review some facts here:
David Warner joined Sunrisers Hyderabad(SRH) in 2014 and was appointed captain in 2015.
Over the past 8 seasons with SRH he has scored 4000+ runs, and won an IPL Winner trophy as a Captain in 2016.
He is the MOST prolific Overseas batsman in IPL history and fifth most overall, having played 55 less games than his nearest competition, Suresh Raina, who is ahead of him by a mere 79 runs
You would think that after doing so much for his team, and embracing the team’s culture and their love for movies through hilarious videos that also featured his wife and kids, the team management would appreciate and respect his immense contributions both on and off the field.
After all, the Sunrisers and Australian cricket have a very interesting connection.
They had an Australian captain leading the way on both the occasions that they won the IPL Trophy
Adam Gilchrist in 2009, and David Warner in 2016. (against RCB on both the occasions)
The other interesting connection is VVS Laxman.
VVS has been part of the SRH team management for a while now. And while VVS took great pleasure in destroying the Aussies throughout his TEST career, but when it comes to SRH and their success in the IPL, they seem to rely heavily on their Aussie players and Overseas players in general.
Fun Fact: SRH is the only team to have only Overseas players as captains since the start of the IPL.
So, it was all the most interesting that midway through the 2021 IPL, the VVS lead SRH team management decided to drop Warner from the team and handed the captaincy to Kane Williamson for the third time in the past 4 years. This sudden move didn’t change the team’s fortune and they crashed their way to the bottom. Meanwhile Warner was left to wave the team flag from the dressing room, with 0 explanations for the sacking and his future
Two weeks later at the same venue, Warner was crowned Player of the ICC T20 Tournament in UAE.
Defeating the Kane Williamson lead NZ in the finals and becoming the highest run getter of the tournament. Defeating the team being led by the man who was chosen to be his replacement by his former employer of 8 years.
If this is not a pot-boiler made for screen “masala” story, I don’t know what else is.
Did VVS Laxman inadvertently help the Aussies win their first T20 World Cup by unceremoniously sacking Warner? Would SRH have done the same if they had an Indian skipper ? Look no further than their neighboring IPL team who didn’t “dare” to drop their captain even after many unsuccessful years.
Meanwhile, David Warner is still posting funny Allu Arjun videos.
Sometimes even a terrible boss cannot change what you love. And for Davie, its Allu Arjun and his Pushpa dance moves.
Will there be a sequel to this revenge saga just like PUSHPA? We will know in the Mega IPL Auction on Feb 12/13. Till then, I am going back to this video
