NAGPUR: One of the videos that went viral at the beginning of the week was from Australia's nets session in Mohali before the first T20I against India. Tim David hit the ball far and wide in preparation for what turned out to be a memorable debut for Australia.
David never thought that when he played Twenty20 cricket for Singapore a few years ago, he would one day be playing for Australia and almost getting picked for the T20 World Cup, which will be held in Australia next month.
David played his first white-ball match for Australia against India in the first T20I of a three-game series on Tuesday. Along with Matthew Wade, he helped the visitors win by four wickets and go up 1-0 in the series.
David's parents were Australians who moved to Singapore in the early 1990s. He was born there. When he was two years old, his family moved back to Australia. He grew up in Perth. In 2019, he played his first game for Singapore.
David has made a name for himself as a big hitter in franchise-based leagues like Perth Scorchers, Hobart Hurricanes, Lahore Qalandars, Southern Brave, St. Lucia Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Multan Kings, and Mumbai Indians. He was recently added to Australia's team for the T20 World Cup, which will be held later this year.
Tim David, who is 25 years old, said he didn't feel any extra pressure when he made his debut for Australia even though he was known as a big hitter.
"No, I don't think it makes things harder. I just go outside and play whatever games I see. "I didn't expect anything from that," David told the media before the second T20I against India on Friday at the VCA Stadium here.
But David tries to show off his big shots in the nets because he knows that if he's in the middle of the order in a T20 match, he might be able to play too many balls to get going. This is more important to him than his reputation.
"My job on the team is to bat in the middle of the lineup, so I won't see a lot of balls. I'll probably have to stand my ground whether we're batting first or trying to finish off a game when we're behind.
"So, I have to go through my checklist, trying to play strong shots and clear the boundary. So, that's a big part of my training, so I try to get a lot of work done in the nets because, say, in a three-match series, I might face 20 balls, which might be how much I bat in the (entire) series. "I try to get my work done in the nets and be ready so that I'm as perfect for the ball as I am on when I'm in there to bat," David said about why he hits the bowlers hard in the net
David's reputation for hitting hard is growing by the day, so every time he goes into the nets, he has to work on making new shots. That's what got him started, and that's what got him from playing for an Associate Member team to making the World Champion's T20 World Cup team.
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