"If I had my time again, I'd bite my tongue a little bit more": Warner

Well aware that he has not been everyones cup of tea the enigmatic David Warner says he would have toned down a bit if he were to start all over againAustralias star opening batsman David Warner walked for the last time in white on Saturday and guided Australia to an eightwicket win over Pakistan in the third test match at Sydney Cricket GroundWarner in his final test match scored 57 runs in 75 deliveries in his home ground His knock consisted of 7 seven foursAlso ReadIN PHOTOS David Warner Australias Bull raises bat for the last time in testsOver the years I havent been everyones cup of tea but for me Ive played the game as hard as I can and trying to do my best for the team Warner told host broadcaster Fox CricketIf I had my time again and I knew that I probably would show a little bit more patience with myself and Id bite my tongue a little bit moreIn the initial days of his career Warner has been aggressive and slightly nasty not only to sledge but also getting involved in verbal spats with his opponentsIn the 2018 balltampering scandal the lefthander was the central figure for which he was banned from firstclass cricket for one year and was snubbed from Australias team captaincyI think a lot of people dont get to see or meet or know the person From when I first started I was that chirpy little fella that was out there Warner saidThat was my role in the teamto go out there and get under the batters skin and the oppositions skin and yeah it did boost me a little bit because they came at me when I battedAlso ReadIndian Cricket Teams 2024 schedule Tours series and matchesBut they saw it early days and I think your first impression you dont get a second chance at that and you know Ive tried to rebuild that trust and faithWarner insisted he was able to change his approach in his later years in topflight cricket attributing it to a selfimposed drinking banI went two years where I was being called the Reverend I stopped drinking for two and a half years and really enjoyed that time he saidI think people wanted the old bull back but for me it was going out there and playing with pride and passion and theres other ways to go about it Ive toned it down a hell of a lot and thats the real person that I am I think the games changed a lot as well youre playing with a lot of the guys youre playing against Theres no need to go out there and be really chirpy and aggressive theres other ways to do thatWarner retires as Australias second most prolific batter in international cricket with 18612 runs across formats after the legendary Ricky Ponting 27368 He scored 8786 runs in Tests at an average of 4449 with the help of 26 hundreds and 37 fiftiesHe also scored 6932 runs from 161 ODIs at an average of 4530 with the help of 22 hundreds and 33 fifties He has already announced his retirement from the ODIs but will continue to be available for T20Is and domestic T20 leagues across the globeIts pretty much a dream come truehas been a great 18 months for the team On the back of a WTC win Ashes draw and ODI World Cup to come here and win 30 is a great achievement Im proud to be with a bunch of great friends here I felt happy really proud coming to ground this morning Were in the entertainment business and I just tried to come out and showcase what I can do play my shots and we managed to get a win on the board which is greatTalking about his support system he said Family is a massive part of my life You cant do what you do without their supportI give credit to my parents for a beautiful upbringing my brother Steve and then you know came along Candice who sort of got me into line and we now have a beautiful family Im not going to carry on because Ill get too emotional The SCG painted a Thanks Dave tribute on the ground with Warners Australian Test number of 426Would like to be remembered as exciting entertaining and I hope I put a smile on everyones face with the way that I played and hopefully the young kids out there can follow in my footstepsWhiteball cricket to Test cricket Its the pinnacle of our sport So keep working hard to play the redball game because its entertaining as wellWith PTI Inputs