IPL 2017: David Warner hopes to carrying current form over to Champions Trophy 2017

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Hyderabad, May 5: Australian opener and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain David Warner on Friday (May 5) said he's keen on carrying his current sparkling form in the Indian Premier League (IPL) over to the upcoming Champions Trophy in England.

"I hope so. Obviously, I am going to give my best all the time. For me, the last four months has been very effective. I want to keep that momentum going. Not just for me but playing for my country as well," Warner told PTI in Hyderabad.

Noting that Australia has got a balanced side, led by captain Steve Smith, Warner said he's looking forward to the tournament.

"It's going to be a great tournament. You have to win every game basically to win the tournament. So for us, we are going to go out there and be positive. We got a great, balanced team, led by Smithie. We have positive thoughts and I really look forward to it," he said.

The eight-team Champions Trophy tournament will start from 1 June.

Talking about the IPL, he said the fact that the grand finale of the IPL will be held in Hyderabad also gives them the extra incentive to do well.

The Sunrisers are currently placed at fourth position in the points table with 13 points and Warner hoped that his team would finish second before the play-offs.

"Away games have been a bit challenging for us. We are just missing the mark a little bit when we play away. But, the positive thing is we know that if we can make our way to the finals, we know that it's going to be home. That's another positive for us," Warner said ahead of their match against Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS).

The final of the IPL will be held at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket stadium in Hyderabad on 21 May as SRH are the defending champions.

"Obviously, we need to win a couple of more games before we secure the top-four. Hopefully, positively, maybe finishing top two. We know that we are a good team and a day game as well. So, for us it's about going out there and playing our best cricket and obviously starting as well as we can," he said.

Warner said his side's leg-spinner Rashid Khan was a great prospect for his native Afghanistan.

"He (Rashid) is a fantastic prospect for Afghanistan. It's (sic) great find from the IPL. It's great to give him opportunity and show his capabilities against the world's best players," he said.

Warner was speaking on the sidelines of a promotional event at Asics store in Hyderabad.

In reply to a query from the audience, he said he does meditation to keep himself fit and going, besides the routine physical exercises.

"I love meditation. On rare occasions like we were in Dharamsala, I want to go out in the open in the mountains and meditate a little bit," he said.

PTI