Aaron Finch and David Warner – Sunrisers Hyderabad’s new draftees – are all about brute force and power hitting. They both have been explosive in previous editions of the IPL and are looking to do the same this time around. While Finch accepts that he has not been in the best of forms for his team this year, he praises his Australian teammate David Warner for fitting in his new role effectively for the franchise.

Warner, who is usually known for his quick starts while opening the batting, is now donning a crucial role in the middle order for the Sunrisers. It is a challenge, which he has accepted with open arms, and in the process, slowly but steadily, he is fitting into this new role. Finch, who has known Warner from close quarters all these years, spoke about his mate’s new role and his ability to adapt to different situations and conditions.

Excerpts from his interview:

Not the best of starts for the Sunrisers at home. Where do you think it went wrong?

I thought the Mumbai Indians got off to a good start and when you have a big partnership like the one that Ambati Rayudu and Lendl Simmons had, it gets quite hard to contain the opposition. I thought we should have got a lot more on the board and I take full responsibility for not getting us the target that we wanted to achieve. I should have scored heavily in that middle period and in the backend of the slog overs. It was my responsibility and I did not fulfill it. It was frustrating that I could not find the middle of the bat in the end, which held us back by 10 or 15 runs.
Credit to David Warner for accelerating the scoring and he played a fantastic innings. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the points tonight.

Talking about David Warner, how has he adapted to this new role of batting in the middle order?

I think it is fantastic for him. David Warner is a quality player and has been successful in all formats of the game. He is a guy who can adapt to different things and we have seen the results that he has put on the board over the last few innings. I think Warner has found a home at No.4.
You have known him for quite some time now and seen his game up close.

Do you think he is finding it a bit difficult to bat in the middle after having opened the innings all these years?

I think he is fitting into the role very well. He has always been someone who has the teams interested at first. Whether the team wants him to bat at No.1, 6 or 11, I am sure he would do anything for the team. He is someone who is always prepared to put the side in front of himself, and that is the kind of teammate he is. He played the role in the middle order for the Delhi Daredevils in the past and has been successful for the Sunrisers Hyderabad so far.

You have had a couple of big partnerships with him this season. Do you guys discuss your respective roles and responsibilities on and off the field?

It is something that we do not talk about when we are away from the game. But when we are in the middle, we are pretty clear about the plans that we are going with and the bowlers we are targeting. When you bat with a guy like Warner, you just try and fit in with him to the best of your ability. We have a good relationship and it is comforting to bat with someone like him and Shikhar Dhawan. It is good fun.

Are you happy with your own form this season?

I have not been in the greatest of forms lately and my statistics have reflected that. It was nice to get some runs tonight and contribute to the team with a big partnership. But it still was not for a winning cause. I would rather get a zero and win the game.