We're good friends with Indian cricketers, says Warner

Photo: BCCI

Kolkata: Explosive Australia opener David Warner says he remains good friends with Indian cricketers despite a bitterly fought Test series which India won 2-1 to clinch the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

During the recent spiteful Australia's tour of India, home team skipper Virat Kohli might have said that he was no more friends with the Australian cricketers after being repeatedly targeted on and off the field, but Warner feels at the end of the day a cricketer always wants to play the game in the right spirit.

"We always gel very well. It's a different feeling when you put both the teams on the field. Our ultimate goal is to go out there and win for the country and we will do anything to try and beat each other," said Warner, who is now rubbing shoulders with Indian cricketers in the ongoing Indian Premier League.

"There were antics on and off the field in the Test series but we are also good friends. We enjoy laugh and that brings everyone together in international cricket.

"We have to keep the game in a nice fair spirit to make sure that we have grown the game of cricket. That's the ultimate goal for us as athletes, to make sure cricket is the number one sport in the world," Warner said while donating his bat and gloves to the Fanattic Sports Museum at Ecospace in New Town here.

The onfield controversies, notwithstanding, Warner said the Test series was a "fantastic" exhibition of five-day game.

"It was a fantastic series for cricket and for fans in general with a lot of edge of the seats moment. A lot of stuff happens both on and off the field. We hoped everyone enjoyed the series," he said.

"It's disappointing not to have drawn the series or won it. But for us there was a lot of positives out of the way. We have proven that we can play in these conditions."

Talking about the upcoming Champions Trophy in England, Warner said it's crucial for all the teams, especially India to come back fresh a hectic home season.

"Each individual has to rest and recover as well. There was so much internatioanl cricket. 13 in a row at home for India. It was extremely difficult for bowlers as they have to come back fresh not just for IPL and Champions Trophy," he said.