India coach Rahul Dravid emphasised that dismissing Australia’s David Warner in the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final requires more than just replicating the tactics employed by England’s Stuart Broad during the 2019 Ashes series.
Warner has been regarded as one of the top opening batters of his generation, amassing 8,158 runs at an average of 45.57, including 25 centuries, in 103 Test matches. However, his recent form has seen a decline, with only one century in his last 32 innings and a relatively average record in England.

During the closely contested 2-2 Ashes series in England four years ago, Warner struggled, averaging less than 10 and falling victim to Broad on seven occasions. Broad mainly utilised an around-the-wicket angle to trouble the left-handed Warner.
Dravid suggests that dismissing Warner requires a well-thought-out approach that goes beyond replicating Broad’s tactics. The Indian team will likely devise their own strategies to counter Warner’s strengths and exploit any weaknesses they perceive.

“He (Warner) is a class player. It’s not as simple as just turning up and bowling round the wicket and getting him out,” Dravid told reporters at the Oval ahead of the showdown, which begins on Wednesday.
“He wouldn’t have played a hundred times if it was that simple.”

The former India batsman added: “There’s nowhere to hide any more, everyone has very similar information about each other. It’s just how you counter that.
“Every batsman will have areas they’re strong at and areas that are not probably their strengths, and David has been very successful.

“We know it’s a very important wicket to get early on.”
This is just the second WTC final with India having been beaten by New Zealand in the inaugural 2021 showpiece in Southampton.

Australia and India qualified by coming first and second in the standings at the end of a two-year Test cycle.
Dravid added: “It’s been two years of hard work to get here. It’s something you aspire to be in the top two teams so you get an opportunity to play this game.”
But this year’s final takes place against a backdrop of growing concern for the future of Test cricket.

The booming popularity of the Indian Premier League has sparked the growth of a series of franchise Twenty20 competitions around the world, crowding out room in the calendar for the five-day game in many nations.

“Every time you play for your country you always want to win, but I really hope it (the WTC) will encourage a lot more teams to potentially play a lot more Test cricket,” said Dravid, a veteran of 164 Tests.
“I know it’s complicated, there are reasons why that’s probably not happening in terms of time and finances, but personally at least I’d like to see a lot more Test cricket being played.”
(With AFP inputs)