Adelaide, Dec 9 (IANS): Australian opening batsman David Warner said his knock of 145 (163 balls) on the opening day of the first Test against India here Tuesday was the best of his life and will always hold a special place in his heart.
"This is probably going to be the best of my life. Hopefully I will score some more but this is going to stick with me for the rest of my life," Warner said after his aggressive century steered Australia to a respectable 354 for six at stumps on day one.
He said it was the best tribute he could pay to his "Little mate" Phillip Hughes after his tragic death Nov 27 after being hit by a bouncer during a domestic match.
"I had a gut feeling that my little mate was there with me down the other end the whole time laughing at me," the left-hander said.
"In the initial part of the game my emotions took over and I found it quite hard. As time passed my instincts kicked in, the adrenaline started pumping and I got into the momentum."
Warner looked heavenwards when he got to his half century and again when he reached 63 - the score Hughes was batting on when the fateful bouncer hit him. Getting to that score hit Warner in his heart too.
"The hardest point of the day for me was when I was on 63. It was such a horrific and rare incident that even though the spinner was bowling, just batting on that number felt like it wasn't right. I was trying to get past that and move on. I had to step away for a second to get my thoughts and process back," he said.
Warner also said that the Indian bowlers erred in bowling short in the initial part of the day but made amends in the latter half of the play.
"I thought early on they bowled too short and didn't make the most of the swing. You saw with the second ball when they pitched it up and got the batsmen driving, there were nicks and dismissals. So, early on they were a bit scratchy but they finished well and won the last session," the 28-year-old said.
"It was a bit disappointing to lose a couple of wickets in the end. We have now got to dig deep and score as many runs as possible tomorrow. The next four days we have to keep working hard to take 20 wickets It is going to be a hard task but we have got to back ourselves," Warner summed up.