India v/s Australia, 4th ODI: With an eye on Ashes, David Warner insists Aussies will play for pride

Virat Kohli's Team India looks invincible at the moment. At least in home conditions. With almost every base covered, the Men In Blue can give any team a run for its money even on a bad day. What then will it take Australia to turn the tide against the formidable hosts in the on-going five match ODI series?

With the series lost 0-3, the Aussies have only pride to play for. Senior opening batsman David Warner insists his team is completely motivated to avoid a series whitewash.

Warner on Wednesday said the Australians will not give up on trying to force a turnaround against India and make a statement before the upcoming Ashes.

However, the Steve Smith-led side is looking at the last two ODIs and subsequent three T20 Internationals to make an impression before the Ashes, starting November 23 in Brisbane. "It is disappointing to lose the series already because we play for our country and that is what we enjoy doing and love doing. There is a lot of pride at stake," Warner said at the pre-match press conference of the fourth ODI in Bengaluru on Thursday.

"Obviously we have got three T20s as well after this. (And) we are looking at it. We have got to make the most from the remaining ODIs and T20 games and make a turnaround before going into the next series or tournament (Ashes)," he added.

Talking about the already lost series, Warner said the visitors found it difficult to cope up with the conditions in India this time around. "On a personal front, it is my first ODI series in India. So coming here for the first time to play in ODIs with two new white balls would be different. The first two games were different," he said.

"In Kolkata, the ball was swinging around. It is probably the toughest conditions I have faced from the white ball point of view. It swung a lot more than what it did in England. You adopt your game according to conditions. The last game was probably a game played in the traditional way. There the ball did not swing as much. The wicket was nice to bat on and I made most of it by getting in. So, that probably is a thing for me to reflect," Warner said.

Warner will be playing his 100th ODI on Thursday, a milestone which his skipper Steve Smith achieved during the second ODI of the ongoing series in Kolkata earlier this month. "It is a significant milestone for my family and myself.

"I am extremely proud of where I am on Wednesday. Coming from playing T20 in MCG in front of 90,000 people and a couple of games later to represent Australia in the ODI format. I never thought it will come so fast, but I learnt a lot in the early stages of my career," he said.

"To be an established player at the moment is a proud feeling for me. Also, I have got a great bunch of teammates around me. Obviously Smithy (Smith) brought up his 100th game recently as well. We have come a long way from where we were in juniors. Not being picked, dropped etc. There has been a great friendship between us and playing the 100th ODI together means much for us," Warner said.

An explosive batsman up the order, Warner is best-known for his hard-hitting abilities, especially in T20s. But the diminutive opener says playing Test cricket has allowed him to hone his skills in the 50-over format.

"I am used to come out and start tonking from ball one like in T20 cricket. I sort of adapted that approach, but Test match cricket actually allowed me to play the game properly and show myself that there is lot more time in 50 overs cricket than 20 overs cricket," he said.

"Playing Test cricket allowed me to actually nurture my game in 50 overs, take a bit more time and try and bat through the middle period in not such aggressive manner. Just play the game as it is and set the platform for the rest of the batsmen to follow. I really did not think about that when I came into the set up," Warner added.

Asked about his role in this Australian side, Warner said: "From my point of view my role is to make sure that everyone is upbeat and energetic to go out there and play to best of their abilities."

Warner has shunted his old Kaboom bat and has traded it for bats which fall within the new ICC regulations. Asked Warner about the new bat size rule, he said the change will hardly make any difference to a batsman.

"My bat has already been changed. I have been using it for the last couple of weeks in Bangladesh. I am getting used to it. I don't think it is going to affect me now as it did not affect me when I was playing with the old bat," he said.

"Everyone is a sort of being misled in the way that the big bats clear the fences easier than the old bats used to. We were hitting sixes 5-6 years ago and we continue to hit sixes today. So it is not going to make any difference at all," Warner said.

(Inputs from PTI)