When Warner stooped to conquer IPL’s 7000-run mark

David Warner took a break from the competitive action on field to produce a moment of sporting excellence. In the tenth over of the Sunrisers Hyderabad versus Gujarat Lions match on Sunday, the Australian opener paused mid-run to hand Basil Thampi his shoe.

At strike, Moises Henriques hit a ball down the ground which fast bowler Thampi dived at in an attempt to stop it. He missed the ball and his shoe fell off in the process.

David Warner halted between the wickets to pick up the shoe and hand it over to Thampi before completing the run.

The crowd in the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad erupted in loud cheer on seeing the gesture of sportsmanship.

Even the coaching staff of the Sunrisers team was glad to see David Warner extend a hand of support to his Indian opponent just weeks after the much publicized bad blood between India and Australia during the BorderGavaskar Trophy four-match Test series.

Sunrisers eventually won the match by nine wickets to post victories in their first two games as defending champions.

Warner’s unbeaten 76 and 108He run partnership with Henriques (52*) helped the team win the match in just 15.3 overs and also helped him achieve a personal landmark.

The southpaw became only the second Australian and the fourth player overall to score 7000 or more runs in the T20 format of the game. He now has 7011 runs from 224 T20 matches.

also became the fastest to reach the milestone.

The other players to have surpassed the 7000-run mark in T20 cricket so far are Chris Gayle (9975 runs in 288 matches), Brendon McCullum (7411 runs in 269 matches) and Warner’s compatriot Brad Hodge (7338 runs in 270 matches).

Aside from the 7000 runs, Warner also became the fourth player to hit 700 or more fours in T20 cricket, once again joining Gayle, McCullum and Hodge to have accomplished the feat.

Gayle has hit 762 fours in 288 matches, McCullum has managed 713 fours in 269 matches while Hodge has struck 707 runs in 270 matches.

EVEN THE COACHING STAFF OF SUNRISERS TEAM WAS GLAD TO SEE DAVID WARNER EXTEND A HAND OF SUPPORT TO HIS INDIAN OPPONENT