Australian star opener David Warner will require medical clearance to play the first one-day international against India in Mumbai, according to media reports.
David Warner was injured while playing the second test match of the recently concluded Border Gavaskar Trophy. He got hit on the head by Mohammad Siraj’s bouncer in the first innings. He suffered delayed symptoms of concussion later that day. Matt Renshaw replaced him in the second innings.
He also complained of elbow pain, and further scans revealed the elbow fracture. He was declared ruled out of the remaining two test matches of the series. He was sent back home for his recovery and was expected to return for the limited-overs series against India.
Australia will play a three-match ODI series against India starting in Mumbai on March 17, 2023. Warner joined the ODI squad on Monday after completing the final two rehabilitation sessions on his elbow in Australia.
Warner has recovered completely from his both injuries, but the medical team will take the final call after the assessment in the nets. “They’ll look at Dave in Mumbai for game one and make a decision from there,” said a team spokesman.
Australia’s head coach Andrew Mcdonald is optimistic about Warner’s availability in the first ODI. “We’ll see Dave back in Australian colors on the 17th; he’s recovered from his injury, and we’ll go from there,” McDonald said.
Important ODI series for the World cup
The upcoming ODI series will be very crucial for Australia’s world cup preparations. This series will act as a dress rehearsal for the upcoming ODI world cup, scheduled to be played in India later this year.
Even with Warner’s dipping red ball performance in recent times, David Warner is an integral part of Australia’s ODI setup. He has been their batting mainstay along with the likes of Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, and Marnus Labuschagne. Southpaw has scored over 6000 runs in 141 ODI’s at an average of over 45 with 19 centuries. He will play a crucial role in their upcoming world cup campaign, given his vast experience of playing in India, credit to the Indian Premier League.
Steve Smith will continue to lead the team in the ODI series as well; Pat Cummins has decided to stay back in Australia after the death of his mother recently.
Australia’s squad for the upcoming ODI Series
Steve Smith (c), Alex Carry (wk), David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Starc, Sean Abbott, Mitchel Strac, Nathan Ellis, Ashton Agar, Adam Zampa.
David Warner is in our plans for WTC: Andrew McDonald
The veteran opener has been a prolific run scorer at the top for Australia in the last decade. He has scored over 8000 runs at an average of 45.58 with an impressive strike rate of 71. He has scored 25 test centuries for Australia. But his disappointing red ball performance in recent times has raised a question mark about his future in the longest format of the game.
Even Warner himself, aware of this fact, had made it clear he would decide about his red ball career after the ashes later this year.
He failed to make any meaningful contribution in the recently concluded Border Gavaskar Trophy; he struggled against Shami and Ashwin, only managing to score 27 runs in 3 innings before being ruled out. Travis Head replaced him at the top and created a serious impact in the last two test matches with his aggressive stroke play. This has raised questions on Warner’s future in test match cricket, given WTC final and ashes are just around the corner.
But coach Andrew McDonald has clarified that Warner is in the plans of the team management for the WTC final.
“At the moment, Dave is fully integrated into our plans for the World Test Championship,” McDonald said.
Even with the backing from the head coach, it will be very interesting to see whether Warner will find a place in the squad for the WTC final.
