WTC Final 2023: David Warner is an impact player for Australia – Virat Kohli

India’s talisman batter Virat Kohli has labelled David Warner as an impact player for Australia in the World Test Championship final 2023. Warner, who hasn’t been at his absolute best in Test cricket in the recent past, is known for his aggressive batting and can take the game away from India.

Warner has amassed 8158 runs in 103 Test matches at an average of 45.58 and he is going to hold the key at the top of the order with Usman Khawaja. However, Warner could only score 26 runs in three innings against India in the Border-Gavaskar series 2023 before he was ruled out with an elbow injury.

Meanwhile, Warner has an impressive strike rate of 71.04 in Test format and he will looking to be at his best against India in the summit clash. Kohli feels Warner can take the game away from them if he gets going and it will be imperative for them to get rid of him quickly.

“David Warner is an impact player for Australia. When he gets going he can take game away from you pretty quickly. Someone you probably look to get out really quickly, otherwise he can hurt you very early and consistently,” Kohli said in a video released by the ICC.

“He seems to have this zone, that he just gets into and starts hitting boundaries and does not stop. He does not make many mistakes in that space. He has always played impactful innings for Australia across formats and he is certainly a dangerous player and someone you need to get rid of quickly,” he added.

On the other hand, Usman Khawaja feels David Warner is in great form and this is the best he has seen his teammate bat in the nets. Warner scored 516 runs in 14 matches for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2023 at an average of 36.86 and thus looked in good form.

“Genuinely, this is the best I’ve seen Davey bat in the nets the last couple days, it’s been awesome to watch. It’s as simple as just the way he’s moving; just the way he’s striking the ball.”

“He’s an aggressive player, he plays a lot of shots generally and you can see when that’s happening. It would not surprise me if he comes out and scores a truckload of runs here, it’s just what Davey can do. Every time his back is against the wall, it seems like that’s when he scores runs.”

The WTC Final between India and Australia starts Wednesday at the Oval.