You don't take David Warner if you're not going to start with him and open with him: Adam Gilchrist

Adam Gilchrist, former Australia captain, reckoned that David Warner should be given the opener's slot in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India, despite Mitchell Marsh's promising stint in the 50-over format. Australia will begin their World Cup campaign on October 8 against hosts India at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Gilchrist is confident that the southpaw will do well in the showpiece event if he gets selected for the squad. The 51-year-old is confident that Warner will bring a lot of experience playing in India and having previously won the World Cup.

"You don't take (Warner) if you're not going to start with him and open with him. He well and truly warrants being picked in that World Cup squad and the starting XI. He's a World Cup winner. I think his knowledge and experience in India will be vitally important to the Aussies doing well," Gilchrist was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au. 

He went on to say that Warner does not mind being seconded into a corner as he can bounce back strongly. Notably, the 36-year-old was crucial for Australia in the 2021 T20 World Cup, helping them to clinch their first title and winning the Player of the Tournament award.

"He (Warner) doesn't mind being backed into a corner. That's probably not the way he always wants it to play out but he knows how to throw a counter-punch here and there," the former cricketer added.

Marsh plays a crucial role in Australia's ODI series in India 

Mitchell Marsh has had an unforgettable stint for Australia opening the batting in the away ODI series against India in March. The 31-year-old all-rounder, who always bats in the middle order, was crucial for Australia in his new role, helping the tourists win the series 2-1. Notably, David Warner was benched during the series after sustaining an elbow injury during the four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Moreover, Marsh finished the series as the leading run scorer, amassing 194 runs at an average of 97.00. Courtesy of his stellar performance, he also emerged as the Player of the Series against India.