Veteran Australian opener David Warner was not picked by Delhi Capitals for their crucial clash with KL Rahul’s Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League season 2024 on Tuesday. The former Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper remained on the sidelines for almost a month due to a hand injury. Talking about Warner after the toss, DC’s Director of Cricket, Sourav Ganguly, admitted that the Australian batter is a legend in the IPL.
Former India skipper Ganguly also credited head coach Ricky Ponting for guiding youngster Jake Fraser-McGurk in his debut season of the IPL. Though McGurk has taken to IPL cricket like a fish to water, the DC opener was overlooked by the Australian selectors for the T20 World Cup. With McGurk dominating bowlers in the powerplay at the IPL 2024, Ganguly feels that Australia should have picked the rising DC star in its T20 World Cup squad.
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‘Australia should have probably picked him’
“What I like about him is he is hungry. He wants to play more. I know he missed out on the World Cup. Australia should have probably picked him, but that’s the way it goes, when you have so many good players in Warner, Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh. But, he is 22 and got a long career,” Ganguly told Star Sports. The former India skipper termed the DC opener as a game-changer for Rishabh Pant’s men this season. Ganguly hinted at Delhi retaining the Aussie batter ahead of the mega auction. “And I am sure he will be up and ready. Teams will want him. We (DC) will want him for us in the future because he is a game-changer. That’s what we need in this format. We will see how it goes,” he added.
How McGurk has performed for DC in IPL 2024
Australia’s McGurk was dismissed for a duck in match No.64 of the IPL 2024 between DC and LSG at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. The DC opener has smashed 330 runs in nine games for the Capitals. The Australian power-hitter batted at a strike rate of 234.04 in his first nine games this season. McGurk has notched up four half-centuries for the Delhi Capitals.
“He has brought a lot to the table. I am happily surprised by the way he has batted. I think it’s the first time in the sub-continent for him. I think the wickets were good. But you still have to put them away. The attitude has been good. He works hard at the nets. He doesn’t take anything for granted. Even at optional training, he will come, he will bat and get ready. I see very good things for him in this format,” Ganguly concluded.
