Homelosstosa galvanised Oz, says Warner
It takes a loss like that at home sometimes to really get guys going. It’s not that we needed that, it’s a reality check that you can have one bad session, and it can be taken away.
BENGALURU: Australia’s defeat in the home series against South Africa helped them galvanise, opening batsman David Warner said on Wednesday ahead of the second Test against India.
Australian cricket plunged into a crisis after a 3-0 whitewash in Sri Lanka was followed by successive home defeats to South Africa.
After a national outcry forced wholesale changes, Steve Smith’s men recovered by winning the final Test against South Africa in Adelaide before beating Pakistan 3-0.
In Pune, they took just twoand-a-half days to secure a first Test triumph in India since 2004, handing out a 333-run thumping to a side that had gone 20 Tests without tasting defeat on home soil.
“It was obviously quite pain ful, that loss at home. South Africa outplayed us, but we’ve moved on from that and Smudge (Smith) got us all together and we galvanised well,” Warner told reporters ahead of Satur day’s second Test.
“I think it takes a loss like that at home sometimes to really get guys going. It’s not that we needed that, it’s just the fact it’s a bit of a reality check that you can have one bad session, and it can be taken away from you even on home soil.”
Warner made 38 and 10 in Pune but opening partner Matt Renshaw made an eventful India debut as Australia went 1-0 up in the four-match series.
“They (India) are the No. 1 Test team in the world. They are a great bunch of players and we know what to expect,” Warner said.
“We saw all the tricks in Pune — their bowling changes their fielding place ments — so for us to beat them on home soil was awesome and fantastic.”
“But we know they’re going to come back harder and we’ve just got to adapt to the condi tions again with what we face here,” he added.