In a heart-warming moment, Usman Khawaja and David Warner shared a warm hug before the two batters stepped on to the field. Warner and Khawaja, who are friends from age-group cricket, survived just one over before Stumps was called on Day 1 of the New Year's Test. Australian opener Usman Khawaja's wife, Rachel Khawaja, shared a heartfelt post ahead of the third Test for Warner. “This next game is going to be a special one 🏏🫶🏼 A friendship that has been going for 31 years (Usman Khawaja and David Warner), from childhood mates to opening the batting together for your country. Safe to say emotions will be high this week when we watch you walk out to bat together for one last time!!”, Rachel wrote sharing some pictures. Acknowledging the warmth of the Warner family, she added, “Candice (Warner’s wife) and Dave are some of the most amazing people you will ever meet, and we are so grateful for their friendship. Dave is one of the all-time greats of the game, and it’s been an honor to be a small part of his incredible journey 👏🤍 @davidwarner31 @candywarner1 @usman_khawajy.”In response to the heartfelt post, David Warner expressed his gratitude in the comments section.
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Earlier, the Delhi Capitals skipper received a guard of honour from the opposition team as he stepped out to bat. The Pakistani players were ready with a guard of honor for the retiring batter, with skipper Shan Masood leading the proceedings. Warner shook hands with the opposition skipper and thanked the Pakistani players for the sporting act before making his way to the crease. The aussie superstar who has been mired in several controversies throughout his career is regarded as one of the greatest batsman Australia ever produced. Warner was a prominent member of the victorious Australian squad of the 2015 Cricket World Cup, the 2021 T20 World Cup, where he was the Player of the Tournament, and the 2021–2023 ICC World Test Championship by winning the 2023 ICC World Test Championship final and 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup