“That’s Why They Call It A Final”: David Warner Schools Mohammad Kaif Around ‘Best Team On Paper’ Comment

Veteran Australian batter David Warner didn’t mince words to school former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif around his viral statement that the best team didn’t win the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup. Referring India as the “best team on paper” during an interaction with host broadcaster Star Sports Network in Ahmedabad on Sunday, an emotional Kaif couldn’t fathom a 6-wicket Indian loss.

Australia, who had lost the first two matches of the tournament, jumped on to a triumphant nine-match winning spree in order to lift the silverware for the sixth time. India, on the other hand, had reached the final on the back of remaining unbeaten for 10 matches in a row. If truth be told, India’s margin of victories was unmatched in comparison to other teams which had participated in 2023 World Cup.

However, none of that matters after they faltered in a knockout match to lose their 10th ICC tournament in as many years. With Kaif and several other former Indian cricketers and fans comforting the hosts, messages of condolences won’t fetch India a world title at a time when they should’ve been winning the same frequently.

Writing on similar lines on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Warner hinted at Kaif needing to differentiate between “paper” and “reality”. Furthermore, if calling attention to “paper” is that important, one shouldn’t forget that Rohit Sharma and his men competed with more than one major issue on paper throughout the tournament. Hence, labeling India as the best team isn’t entirely justified.

“I like MK, issue is it does not matter what’s on paper. At the end of the day you need to perform when it matters. That’s why they call it a final. That’s the day that counts and it can go either way, that’s sports. 2027 here we come,” Warner wrote on X.

David Warner Provides Signals Against Retiring From All Formats

Mentioned in the aforementioned tweet, “2027 here we come” is open to several perceptions. In the general run of things, one would believe in Warner backing Australia to defend a world title for the third time in their rich history of this sport.

Having already confirmed his Test retirement before playing ICC World Test Championship 2021-2023 final against India in June this year, Warner had hinted at ICC T20 World Cup 2024 being his swansong. However, his penultimate post on X, uploaded yesterday, has confused his fans.

Warner, who had confirmed his lack of interest in Cricket Australia’s central contract earlier this month, had signaled at continuing to represent the country in white-ball formats till ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Does a 37-year old Warner have aspirations of being part of ICC Cricket World Cup 2027? Highly unlikely but not impossible much like Indian counterparts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.