IND vs AUS: David Warner not opening for Australia for only 2nd time in 14-year-long ODI career

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David Warner was named in the playing eleven of the third and final ODI against India in Chennai but not as an opener. The 36-year-old is not opening only for the second time in his 14-year-long ODI career.

Warner. who missed the first two ODIs, is returning from an elbow fracture which he incurred during the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Delhi.

The 36-year-old got a place in the eleven following the omission of an "unwell" Cameron Green. The management did not not tinker with the opening pair of Travis Head and Cameron Green who fired Australia to a 10-wicket in in the second ODI.

The duo chased down the 118-run target in just 11 overs to hand India their biggest ODI defeat in terms of balls remaining. In the series-deciding third ODI as well, Head and Marsh partnered for 68 runs.

Warner has been slated to bat at number one. The southpaw has walked in as an opener 138 times since his ODI debut against South Africa in January, 2009. He has faced the first delivery in an ODI match 80 times. He has batted at number two on 58 occasions.

Only once in a match in 2015 Warner did not open in an ODI match against Australia. Chasing 131 against Scotland, then captain Michael Clarke opened with Aaron Finch. Warner walked in to bat at number five after Shane Watson and James Faulkner and scored 21 unbeaten runs.

David Warner stunning record as opener

Warner has an impressive record as an ODI opener. In the 138 matches, he has scored 5,986 runs at an average of 45.7 and a strike rate of 95. Overall, he has played 141 ODIs (139 innings) and scored 6007 runs at an average of 45.16.

The senior batter's place in the eleven has been under the spotlight lately. He managed to score just 26 runs from the two Test matches in the recently-concluded 4-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He has performed decently in the ODIs but Australia did not take the risk of middling with the opening pair of Head and Marsh in the series-decider.

Warner has made his intentions clear that he wishes to play international cricket until 2023.