Like it or not, David Warner is here to stay for the Ashes

David Warner has quietly fed his strongest critics humble pie after months of pressure on selectors to give him the boot.

David Warner’s career in the Baggy Green has been placed under serious pressure over the past 18 months, with his strongest critics declaring he should be shafted as Australia looks to the future.

A sparkling 200 at the MCG on Boxing Day did a lot to zip the lips of those calling for his immediate axing, but there were always questions hanging over what he could do in English conditions.

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At 36 with over 100 Tests under his belt, Warner has made no secret he wishes to retire on his own terms. And a dogged stand against a nippy Indian attack last night proved he still has a lot in the tank.

While it wasn’t a theatrical milestone innings, Warner did plenty to assure selectors and fans his confident brand of batting has not gone away.

Australia were in trouble in the opening overs when Usman Khawaja fell for a duck before opening partner Warner counterattacked.

David Warner leaves the pitch after being caught out by India's wicket keeper KS Bharat. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)

His innings of 43 ended in unlucky fashion when he gloved an attempted pull off Shardul Thakur and was well caught down the legside by diving wicketkeeper Srikar Bharat.

As the sun came out, Warner struck first-change Umesh Yadav for three fours in successive balls, with a forcing shot through cover-point followed by an uppercut over the slips and a more delicate late cut.

Even better was a cover-driven four off Thakur that sped across the outfield at the London ground.

Former Aussie Test openers Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer both took notice of Warner’s poise at the crease after effortlessly bludgeoning one of the world’s fastest bowlers around The Oval.

It was an obvious hint to head selector George Bailey that Warner at the top of the order meant security for the Ashes.

“You can see from his body language that he was right into this match,” Hayden said on Channel 7.

“When the sun started flowing, so too did those runs.

“He was brilliant.”

“He played off the front foot and the back foot … that’s a sign David Warner’s in good form,” former Australian coach Langer added.

While it wasn’t a theatrical milestone innings, Warner did plenty to assure selectors and fans his confident brand of batting has not gone away.

At 36 with over 100 Tests under his belt, Warner has made no secret he wishes to retire on his own terms. And a dogged stand against a nippy Indian attack last night proved he still has a lot in the tank.

It came as vice-captain Steve Smith suggested Warner’s Test retirement plan may not be as locked in as it seems.

On Saturday night, Warner revealed he wanted to bow out of Test cricket with a final match at the SCG against Pakistan next January, while continuing his short-form career until the 2024 T20 World Cup.

But there’s a big if that Smith has doubled down on — whether Warner can find and stay in form to play the final nine Tests of his career.

“It’s nice to have an end date if that’s the way you want to go, but ultimately we’ve all got to be doing our job and for batters that’s scoring runs. That’s all of our jobs,” Smith said.

“In an ideal world that’s when Davey said he’d like to finish up, but he’s got to score runs. All of us do. We’ll see what happens.”

Warner said: “I probably owe it to myself and my family – if I can score runs here and continue to play back in Australia – I can definitely say I won‘t be playing that West Indies series.

“If I can get through this (WTC final and ensuing Ashes campaign) and make the Pakistan series, I will definitely finish up then.”

Australia was 3/327 at stumps on Day One with head on 146* and Smith on 95*.