David Warner keeps getting outfoxed by spin

David Warner keeps getting outfoxed by spin as he has been dismissed below the score of fifty for the 6^th consecutive time in the on-going Border-Gavaskar series.

Out of his 6 dismissals in the series, five have come against the spin bowlers and it’s both the off spin and the left arm spin which have troubled him.

While off spin has taken his wicket three times, left arm spin has done it twice and that’s surprising because he is considered a decent enough player of spin bowling.

A player can’t average in the high forties in test Cricket and can’t be in top 5 in the world rankings without having the skills to play spin.

But, in India, the reason why he is looking a walking wicket against spin is that he is probably exaggerating the conditions. He is going out to bat thinking there’s a lot of spin on the wicket and it’s impossible to survive. So, if he has any chance of scoring runs, it’s by playing high risk shots. But, that’s not the case.

Warner doesn’t have to look too far ahead for a lesson than his captain. The Australian captain Steve Smith, with his two hundreds on the tour, has shown his players that whatever might be happening off the track, it is still possible to defend the ball successfully if it is done with the right technique.

Both the tons of Smith have come with the right blend of calmness and aggression and that’s what Warner will have to do as well if he has to score in three figures in India. He will have to be ready to play the waiting game first. He can’t just take on spin in these conditions and get away with it.