David Warner picks Rohit to break Lara's 400 not out Test record, recalls Sehwag's encouragement
Adelaide, Dec 1: Dashing Australian opener David Warner believes India's Rohit Sharma has the firepower to surpass West Indies great Brian Lara's record 400 not out in a Test match.
Warner, who scored his maiden triple ton (335) in five-day cricket during the ongoing second Test against Pakistan here, was just 65 runs shy of breaking Lara's record when skipper Tim Paine decided to declare the innings at 589/3.
Though he couldn't break the record, Warner believes it is possible to surpass the 400-mark and backed Rohit to achieve the feat in near future. Lara's 400 not out is the highest individual score in Test cricket which came against England in 2004.
"Yeah, look, I think it's about the person himself. We've got long boundaries, it is quite difficult at times. When fatigue sets in, it's very hard to try hard and throw your hands at it," Warner told 'Fox Sports'.
"At the end, I tried to run twos to lift the ante because I couldn't actually think like I could clear the ropes.
"I think, one day, if I've to name a player, I reckon it could be Rohit Sharma. Definitely."
Considered one of the best batsmen in ODI cricket, Rohit couldn't achieve much success in Tests initially but the Mumbaikar made a successful comeback to the longest format when he was included as an opener for the three-match series against South Africa.
As an opener in his first Test, Rohit scored twin-centuries against South Africa and was eventually named the Man of the Series.
Warner, who surpassed Sir Don Bradman's highest Test score of 334 during his unbeaten knock in the ongoing Day-night Test, also revealed that he had doubts about his Test career and it was former India opener Virender Sehwag, who had predicted that he would be a better Test batsman than a T20 cricketer.
"When I met Virender Sehwag while playing for Delhi in the IPL, he sat down to me and said I will be a better Test player than a Twenty 20 player. I said 'you're out of your mind, I've not played many first-class games'," Warner told reporters.
"He always said 'they will have slips and gully, covers open, mid-wicket stay there. mid-off and mid-on will be up, you can get off to a flier and sit there all day and you'll be picking them all off'.
"That's always stuck in my mind, it sounded very easy when we were discussing then."
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Jagan accuses Sharmila of 'illegally' transferring shares, moves tribunal saying "no love left"
Hyderabad (PTI): YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has moved the NCLT accusing his sister and AP Congress president YS Sharmila of illegally transferring shares of Saraswati Power and Industries holding by him and his wife Bharathi, on her and their mother Vijayamma's name.
The feud between Jagan and Sharmiala took a new turn in the form of the legal battle with the petition filed last month in the Hyderabad Bench of National Company Law Tribunal being taken up and posted to November for further hearing.
In the petition, Jagan said he entered into an MoU with Sharmila wherein he said that "out of love and affection" would transfer his and his wife's shares of Saraswati Power and Industries through gift deed to his estranged sister, subject to pending cases in respect of some properties including attachments by the Enforcement Directorate.
Jagan in a letter to his sister opined that the share transfer without fulfilling the legal obligations and clearance from court would potentially have adverse implications.
He, however expressed his desire to revoke the memorandum of understanding saying, "it is no secret that we are no longer on the best of terms, and in view of this changed situation, I wanted to formally intimate you and put you on notice that I have no further intent to act upon my original intent as expressed in the MoU."
Jagan said the properties, acquired by their father, former chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy and the ancestral ones, were divided among the family members.
He intended to transfer the shares (Jagan's own property), in addition to Rs 200 crore he, directly or through their mother, gave to his sister during the past decade.
The former chief minister in his petition said he and Sharmila entered into a MoU on August 31, 2019 wherein he will transfer his and Bharathi's shares to his sibling at a later date after completing due process "unrelated to any consideration and purely out of love and affection".
"It is humbly submitted that to the utter shock and surprise of the petitioners…respondent No 1 (Saraswati Power and Industries) company wide board resolution has transferred the entire shareholding of petitioner no 1 and 2 (Jagan and his wife, respectively) in favour of respondent no 2 (Sharmila) and entire shareholding of petitioner number three (Classic Realty, owned by the family), herein in favour of respondent No 3 (Vijayamma)..." Jagan alleged.
The YSRCP chief said Sharmila, without gratitude and regard to the well-being of her brother, conducted a series of actions that deeply hurt him and that she also made several untrue and false statements publicly.
She also conducted actions that have not only been politically opposed to Jagan but are also blatantly untrue and have caused deep personal dissemination to him, Jagan said in his petition.
"The actions of Respondent No 2 (Sharmila) herein have strained the relationship between the siblings and have further resulted in melting down of all the love and affection the brother had for his sister," his petition said.
Due to actions by his sister, there is "no love left between the two siblings", and he decided not to proceed with his expression of intent to transfer the shares/properties as envisaged under the MoU and gift deed.
After differences cropped up with his brother, Sharmila joined the Congress party earlier this year and was made the president of its Andhra Pradesh unit. She unsuccessfully contested from Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency in the May general elections.
