David Warner’s emotional diary entries show he struggled so badly on tour of subcontinent that he swore he’d NEVER return
- David Warner reveals in The Test his frustration at not scoring runs abroad
- Warner, 36, is a force on Australian pitches, subcontinent is a different story
- After one poor tour in 2017, Warner vowed never to return in his journal entry
Australian batsman David Warner has opened up on his struggles when playing on the subcontinent across the course of his career.
Speaking on the second season of Amazon documentary series The Test, the 36-year-old says he has long wanted to be a dominant force in Asia, but hasn’t delivered.
Warner, who has played 101 Tests for Australia, also reveals he keeps a journal so he can look back at the highs and lows of his career.
And for whatever reason, when at the crease against the likes of India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh abroad, the runs haven’t flowed.
One cutting diary entry from August 27 in 2017, reads: ‘I am done. One game to go and never again touring subcontinent.
David Warner has opened up on his struggles when playing on the subcontinent across the course of his career
While he has been a prolific run scorer in Australia, the same can’t be said when Warner strides to the crease in the subcontinent at Test level
‘Too much stress on my mind that I don’t need.’
It followed Warner being out for just eight versus Bangladesh in the first Test at Chattogram back in 2017.
On a previous tour to Sri Lanka, a blunt Warner labelled his batting ‘f**king s**t’.
‘Memories were horrible, he recalled. ‘I was getting beaten both sides of the bat with the spinning ball.’
The opener’s detractors have often pointed out he only seems to score his runs in Australia, where he averages an imposing 58.39.
He was at his brutal best in last year’s Boxing Day Test, battling extreme heat and exhaustion to plunder 200 versus South Africa at the MCG.
The father of three has often publicly thanked his wife Candice for her ongoing support
‘The Bull’ was later named Player of the Series.
Conversely, his struggles in England – especially against paceman Stuart Broad in a number of Ashes series – has seen Warner’s place in the Aussie XI under threat at times.
A genuine lack of depth at the top of the order for Australia has often worked in Warner’s favour.
Warner, who only averages 32.78 with the bat for Test matches overseas – again looms as a key figure when Australia take on Virat Kohli and his teammates in a four-Test series from February 9.
Tellingly, in India, Warner averages just 24.25, with a highest score of 71.
It is a far cry from the 19 centuries he has blasted at home dating back to his 2011 Test debut.