Bengaluru: Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner says just-concluded IPL's highest wicket taker Bhuvneshwar Kumar is a world-class bowler and he just can't wait to take on the seamer as an opposition batsman.
"Obviously Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar) is in and out of the Indian team, but he is a world-class bowler. With the new ball as an opening batsman I would like to come up against him on a wicket like this because he sets the tone from ball one," said Warner at the post-match press conference after leading Sunrisers to their maiden IPL title at the Chinnaswamy stadium here last night.
Warner said as a captain he has utmost faith in Bhuvneshwar's abilities and passion for the game.
"I have got utmost faith in him (Bhuvneshwar) and the way he plays his cricket. He is passionate. He loves the game and, I always rely on him towards the end," the Australian said.
Warner led from the front with a sparkling 69 off 38 balls before Bhuvneshwar and Mustafizur Rahman bowled brilliantly in the death over to register eight-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL final last night.
Defending 208 to claim their maiden IPL title, Hyderabad restricted Virat Kohli's RCB to 200 for seven.
Warner was also effusive in praise for young left-arm pacer Mustafizur, who formed a lethal combination along side Bhuvneshwar (23 wickets) for Sunrisers this season.
"Obviously, Mustafizur Rahman is a promising player for Bangladesh. It is a credit to him that he has played outstanding cricket along with Bhuvi. Hope he keeps fit and strong for future games," Warner said.
Chasing the 208 for seven set by Sunrsiers, RCB at one stage were cruising at 114 for one with Chris Gayle at his lethal best.
Asked Warner as a captain what he was thinking at that stage, he said: "Our quest was to maintain composure while Chris Gayle was going after our bowling. I spoke to the bowlers to bowl wide and slower balls but despite that he (Gayle) was striking the ball with power. But we knew if we could get quick wickets, it would be hard on the next batsmen to play shots."
"It's not about me, it's about the team. It takes team effort to win a tournament. It is a family effort and that's why we have laid our claim on the title," he said.
Warner also praised Ben Cutting for his all-round performance. Cutting first made a quickfire unbeaten 39 off just 15 balls and then returned with figures of 2/35 with the ball to help his side.
"At one stage we did not expect to even score 180 runs but an exceptional knock from Cutting made us race past 200-run mark. I am a firm believer of putting runs on board which puts pressure on opponents, and 208 is equal to 215 of 220 in such situations. They were scoring at 10 per over but my bowlers did not panic. They executed what they wanted to bowl," he said.
Meanwhile, Sunrisers coach Tom Moody lauded Warner for his "incredible" captaincy throughout the tournament.
"David (Warner) is an incredible captain and has led the team very well even after losing two key players like Yuvraj Singh and Ashish Nehra for half of the tournament," Moody said.
"He (Warner) is a world-class player not only in this (T20) format, but in all formats of the game. He is a dominant player. He is right up there among the best in the world. I enjoyed working with Dave because the most important thing I draw from him is his relentless passion to win," he said.
Moody said Warner has incredible work ethics and discipline.
"He is a born winner and that rubs off on others. He has incredible work ethics and incredible discipline, and all those things are so important from the leadership point of view," he added.
