Champion veteran opener David Warner could have played his last Test after leaving Australia’s tour of India due to a fractured elbow.

The left-hander will fly back to Sydney on Wednesday and miss Australia’s final two Tests against India in Indore and Ahmedabad.

Australia is unlikely to call in a replacement player for Warner with all-rounder Cameron Green set to return, likely in place of Matt Renshaw, from a finger injury to bat at No.6 in the third Test.

The tourists are 2-0 down in the four-Test series and their hopes of regaining the Border-Gavaskar trophy are already over.

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After scoring a difficult 15 on Friday, Warner was subbed out of the match in Delhi before play on day two after failing a concussion test.

Team officials said the elbow injury would not have prevented Warner from batting in the second innings in Delhi, but he was ruled out of the match with concussion.

However, Warner will require a “period of rehabilitation” on his elbow and the decision was made on Tuesday to send him back to Australia.

Australia are preparing for him to return to India for the three ODIs, starting in Mumbai on March 17.

He was replaced in the XI by Renshaw, but No.5 Travis Head opened in Australia’s second innings and top scored with 43.

Warner’s position in the Test team was already under a cloud after he was down on form for the majority of the last three years.

The left-hander entered the Boxing Day Test in December – his 100th match – under extreme pressure to retain his spot.

But he scored a classic 200 to end a Test century drought dating back to January 2020 and book his spot for a third red-ball tour of India.

“If Dave’s unavailable it would make perfect sense,” coach Andrew McDonald said on Monday of opening with Head.

“We did discuss before coming over here that if we were to lose an opening batter that Trav would be one we’d look to put up there.

“We feel in the subcontinental conditions that he can get off to the fast starts which he showed.”

Warner is averaging 45.47 from 103 Tests, hitting 25 centuries – the eighth most by an Australian.

There have been warning signs the end is near for Warner, with the NSW star explaining he felt “exhausted, tired” ahead of this blockbuster tour.

Warner has previously said he wanted to continue playing Tests until at least the end of this year’s Ashes in England – a country where he has also had trouble making runs.

He is not Australia’s only injury concern, with new spin sensation Todd Murphy picking up a “slight niggle” in his side.

But Murphy bowled with the injury during the second Test and should be right to play in Indore.

Australia captain Pat Cummins returned to Sydney after the second Test due to a serious family illness, but the star fast bowler is expected to arrive back in India by the weekend.

Fellow quick Josh Hazlewood has left the squad after failing to overcome a persistent achilles injury which ruled him out of the first two Tests.

If Cummins is not available, Steve Smith would almost certainly step up as captain after last doing the role during the Adelaide day-night Test against West Indies in December.

-AAP