'I'd love doing it': Marnus Labuschagne would relish opening for Australia in David Warner's absence

An adductor injury will keep Warner out of Australia's remaining white ball games, starting with a one-day clash against India at Manuka Oval on Wednesday.

The injury took some gloss off a Steve Smith masterclass which secured a series win and has the Australian batsman on the verge of history in Canberra this week.

Captain Aaron Finch has plenty of options to join him at the top of the XI - squad members Alex Carey, Matthew Wade, Alex Carey and Smith have all opened in one-day international cricket.

Labuschagne says Warner's absence will provide an opportunity for someone to step up and he will relish the challenge if he is tapped on the shoulder.

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"Certainly, if I got asked to open the batting, absolutely. It's an opportunity I would enjoy doing," Labuschagne said.

"We'll have to wait and see how our team shapes up for the next game and see the balance of the side. I'd love doing it.

"He's been a massive part of us winning this series and it's not great that we've lost him. Like anything, it provides an opportunity for someone else to step up in the top order and make runs.

"It's unfortunately how the game works. There's always an opportunity for someone else when something like that happens. We hope Davey gets a speedy recovery and is back as soon as we can get him.

"I hope he's back for the Test series, but I'm not a physio or a doctor. For us, it's just about being able to adapt. We need to make sure we adapt for this last one-dayer."

Warner has been replaced in the Twenty20 squad by D'Arcy Short, and the damaging left-hander has just 18 days to prove his fitness for the first Test of the summer in Adelaide.

Pat Cummins will sit out the last 50-over match on Wednesday and three Twenty20 internationals in a bid to preserve his fitness for the Tests.

Labuschagne has batted at No. 4 for the bulk of his 12 one-day internationals, from there he posted 70 and played a role in a 136-run stand with Smith on Sunday.

Now Smith has a chance to become the first Australian and the 12^th player in history to score three consecutive one-day international centuries.

The Australian superstar has brought up three figures from 62 balls in each of the opening two games of the series to help the hosts to an unassailable 2-0 lead.

"That was one of the best innings I've seen in one-day cricket, not only from Steve but from anyone. The way he batted [on Sunday] was superb," Labuschagne said.

"It always felt like he didn't really give an opportunity, he didn't really take any risks, but he got 100 off 64 balls or something. When someone is doing that, that's kind of scary.

"It was really nice to build that partnership with him, it was nice to keep ticking it over ... towards that back end Steve really took the game on. That's how we got 390. Two very big scores in the last two games, thanks obviously to Steve."