David Warner could well be called the Master Blaster of the Australian team. But the Aussies have given him another name. The hard hitting batter is called The Bull. But he has other nicknames too like The Reverend (because he stopped drinking) and Pocket Size Dynamite. On one occasion when he was asked what gave him his strength and energy he replied that it was Hyderabadi biryani.
His love for Hyderabadi biryani and several other aspects of Hyderabadi culture including Telugu films took birth during the years when he used to play for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL His experiences of batting on Indian pitches proved invaluable to him in the match against Pakistan in the ongoing ICC World Cup.
By scoring 163 off 124 deliveries with 14 fours and 9 sixes, Warner scored his fifth century in 22 innings of the World Cup thus equaling a record set by former Aussie captain Ricky Ponting. Warner and his fellow opener Mitchell Marsh flayed the Pakistan attack and took Australia to a total from where they could not lose.
Now 36 years old, Warner has the right combination of experience and physical fitness that makes him a dangerous player in all circumstances. In 2019, Warner scored the second-highest individual score by any Australian Test batsman with an innings of 335 not out against Pakistan. It was one run more than Sir Don Bradman’s highest score of 334.
How Warner developed love for Indian culture and food
But what endears him to Indian cricket lovers is his appreciation and love for Indian customs and foods. In an interview with television sports presenter Gaurav Kapoor, he revealed that as a boy he had plenty of friends who originally hailed from the Indian subcontinent as well as other Asian countries. That is how Warner developed a love for Indian lifestyle and culture.
His friends brought to school their food from home, cooked by their mothers. So Warner had the chance to taste their foods too. He got addicted to koftas and curries which he found were tastier than the Australian steaks and chips. When it came to music, he loved to listen to songs like Sheila Ki Jawani and Subah Hone Na De. He learnt to speak a few words in different Indian languages.
When he was selected to play in the IPL his love for Indian food, films and music increased further. In Hyderabad he was exposed to Telugu films and Allu Arjun quickly became one of his favourite actors. Also he fell in love with the taste of Hyderabadi biryani and he prefers it to be cooked as spicy as possible.
Players who inspired him
The players who inspired him at the beginning of his career were Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Jacques Kallis and Shane Warne. According to Warner, the South African Jacques Kallis is the best all rounder he has ever seen. But when it comes to finishing the match and sealing a victory, he feels there is nobody better suited for the task than MS Dhoni.
His wife Candice is a successful sportswoman. She is a participant in the Iron Woman triathlon and they have three daughters. Warner is a family man and loves to spend time with his daughters. In 2016 he was selected Australian Sports Dad Of The Year. The videos that he posts on social media are always with his wife and children.
It is surprising therefore that a fun loving family man like him could get involved in ball tampering and other controversial issues. The infamous ball tampering issue in which Warner was involved along with Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft led to harsh penalties for the trio in 2018. Apparently there are different sides to his nature.
But the aspect of Warner that the teams in the World Cup will be most worried about is his ability to punch holes in any bowling attack. When Warner gets going, there aren’t many bowlers in the world who can stop his batting fury. Players like Warner make the world cup matches more interesting.
| 
