Shreevats Goswami reveals how players reacted to David Warner's removal as SRH captain

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) player Shreevats Goswami has said that the change in captaincy mid-season did not have a greater effect on players as it was a tough decision on the management's part. Goswami, while speaking to Cricket.com, said that players were okay with the "whole situation" and they were just focused on winning the remaining matches for the franchise. Goswami, however, admitted that there was some remorse in certain players after David Warner was sacked as the captain, but he added that everyone was in good spirits and was looking to contribute towards the team's success. 

"Obviously, if you ask David or Kane or the management about it there has to be a different angle towards it. We as domestic players, especially me who hasn't played a lot of games, I haven't really got involved so much in such decisions, so it was quite okay for us," Goswami added. 

'Shocked' & 'disappointed' 

Warner was replaced as captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad in a shocking decision made before the penultimate match of IPL 2021, a day before the tournament was postponed indefinitely. The decision came on the back of a streak of poor performances by the 2016 title winners. Warner was replaced by former SRH skipper Kane Williamson, who took charge against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday, which eventually turned out to be the second last match of IPL 2021 before the postponement due to COVID-19. The move had not gone down well with Warner, who was "disappointed" and "shocked" by the management's decision to replace him mid-season. 

Warner, who is arguably the best overseas batsman to have ever graced the Indian Premier League, was even dropped from the playing XI in SRH's next game. The change in captaincy did not bring any immediate result as SRH lost to Rajasthan Royals by a whopping 55 runs. Before the postponement of the season, SRH was sitting at the bottom of the points table with just 2 points besides its name, easily the worst year for the franchise since its inception in 2013. If media reports are to be believed, SRH management will release David Warner before the next mega-auction in 2022, where he will most likely go under the hammer amidst a massive bidding war between teams to acquire him. 

(Image Credit: AP/BCCI)