One of the most infamous episodes that gained the spotlight in IPL 2021 was that of David Warner being dropped from Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captaincy and later, from the team. Warner did have poor IPL 2021 where he scored 195 runs. While opening up on the manner in which he was removed from the team, he revealed that the worst part about it was that it sent a wrong message to the young players on the side.  "If you are going to drop a captain and then not pick him in the team after what he has done, what message does that send to the young kids in the team? What message does that send to the rest of the group? What hurt me the most is that the other guys are now thinking, ‘oh, this could happen to me’," the Australian opener said, during an interaction on the chat show, 'Backstage with Boria."Sachin Tendulkar Suggests ‘Hitting the Stumps’ Rule While Reacting to Ben Stokes’ Bizarre Incident During Day 3 of AUS vs ENG 4th Test (Check Post)

He also said that no one from the franchise had any conversation with him about why he was dropped with him being open to such interactions. "At the end of the day, whatever happens, cop it on the chin. If you want to have those conversations, just have them. It’s not hard. Don’t shy away from them. I am not going to bite. I am going to sit here and accept that for what it is because you are not picking me in the team."

Warner, a veteran in the Indian Premier League, has been one of the most successful captains in Sunrisers Hyderabad history, guiding them to their only IPL title in 2016. He also confirmed earlier that he would be heading to the mega auction, which is set to take place on February 13 and 14. He further said that he felt for the SRH fans. "It was the pain that I knew was going to hit the fans....They really felt it and it hurts me because I am passionate about where I play. I will connect in any way I can with the fans because I know how important fans are. Those kids in the playground wanting to be Sachin, Virat, myself, Williamson, Steve Smith - you name those players, they want to be us. We have to connect with them. If they see something like that, it hurts them.”

Warner redeemed himself and proved his detractors wrong big time, by helping Australia win the T20 World Cup 2021 in UAE. He was named Man of the Tournament for a series of splendid performances with the bat. ICC Introduces Changes to T20I Playing Conditions With Slow Overrate Leading to One Less Fielder Outside 30-Yard Circle

The left-hander also opened up on Virat Kohli's lean patch and backed the star Indian batsman saying, "We have to understand Kohli’s situation too. The guy has been playing under a bubble for a long time. He has just become a father and rarely gets to see his daughter and wife. All these factors affect performance of the players. Even the best fail to cope up with tough situations sometimes."

"A lot of people talk about Virat Kohli's form over the last couple of years. We've gone through a pandemic. He has just had a baby. We only see how well he has done. You are allowed to fail. You are allowed to fail, you earn the right to fail when you are so good at what you do," Warner added.

For the first time in his career, Kohli has gone on two years without scoring an international hundred. He would be looking to break that streak in the ongoing series against South Africa.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 08, 2022 09:21 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).