'Look at the way he reacted when he came on to the bench': Haddin reveals Warner's reaction to shock axing in IPL

David Warner's removal as captain of the Sunrisers Hyderabad during the IPL 2021 came as a bit of a shock for everyone. After all, he is a three-time Purple Cap winner with the Sunrisers and had led the team to its maiden IPL title in 2016. However, it seemed as if once SRH slipped to five defeats from six matches in the season, the management had made up its mind, axing Warner from the post to be replaced by Kane Williamson.

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Having said that, the real shocker was when Warner did not even make it to the Playing XI against Rajasthan Royals. A day after being removed as captain, Warner, despite being fit, did not feature in the team, with SRH director of cricket Tom Moody insisting that the decision was based purely on team combination.

Since then, plenty has been said, spoken and speculated about the development and Warner's future with the team. Former Australia teammate and assistant coach of the Sunrisers, Brad Haddin has revealed how Warner reacted to the news of being removed from captaincy and getting dropped from the team.

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"He took it with class. It was a bit of a shock to everyone when the management decided to go in a different direction to try and spark something in the team. We weren't playing at the standard we needed to but with Davey, the way he handled it, it was all class. He just got back on with the job," Haddin said on Fox Cricket.

As it turned out, the game against RR was SRH's last of the IPL 2021 – which they lost – before the tournament was suspended indefinitely. SRH were placed at the bottom of the points table with one win from seven matches, but had the IPL carried on, Haddin feels it was just a matter of time before Warner returned to the thick of things. However, even during his time being benched, Haddin revealed how Warner did not react indifferently to the situation, something that could be seen in his body language.

"I dare say he would come back in the contention in the next few games. He's one of the best in the world in that form of the game. You had to look at the way he reacted when he came on to the bench. He was around everyone; he was running the drinks out. He was really focussed on the meetings so he handled it with a lot of class in a difficult situation," Haddin pointed out.