The 36-year-old’s early departure casts doubt over his Test future, with selectors facing a tough call whether to pick Warner for a fourth overseas Ashes campaign. Warner’s recent form and record in England suggests that it would take a huge leap of faith by selectors to take him over again.

In an extensive form slump stretching back to the start of last year, Warner is averaging 26.39 from his past 14 Tests and with just three scores over 50 from 24 innings. He is without a century in 13 Tests in England, where he endured a nightmare campaign in 2019 against Stuart Broad, who dismissed him seven times.

‘Pressure and panic does strange things. We saw a lot of people go out and try to sweep their way toward a score.’

Australia’s batting coach Michael Di Venuto

Travis Head has replaced Warner at the top of the order for the second innings in Delhi, and is expected to remain for the rest of the series. But coach and selector Andrew McDonald has made it clear the South Australian is a horses-for-courses option as an opener in India and would return to the middle order in other conditions.

If Warner was to have played his last Test, his final innings will be remembered for the courage he showed in batting on with a fracture.

But, with question marks over his potential replacements, there is a sound case for Australia’s seventh leading Test run-scorer to be recalled when fit.

Loading

Marcus Harris, 30, the reserve batter for the home summer, is unproven at Test level with an average of 25 from 14 games. He also had a difficult time in England four years ago when he made 58 runs in three games at 9.66 but had success in the top level of the county championship last year with three tons and an average of nearly 43.

Cameron Bancroft is the leading run-scorer in this season’s Shield but, like Warner and Harris, had a poor Ashes four years ago, when he was dropped after 44 runs at 11 in the first two Tests.

Queenslander Matthew Renshaw has not played a Test in England, his country of birth, but averages nearly 45 with five tons in 17 county appearances for Somerset and Kent. He is in the midst of a tough series in India, batting in the middle order, but will find conditions in England more friendly than the turning tracks of the subcontinent.

There was mayhem in the dressing room after Smith’s dismissal to an uncharacteristic sweep shot triggered a stunning collapse of 8-28.

“It was a like a car crash in slow motion isn’t it?” Di Venuto said.

“It’s like what has just happened there? You guys saw exactly what we saw. It’s just constant panic and people moving everywhere.”

An angry Smith vented once back in the sanctuary of the dressing room.

“He was certainly disappointed when he got out, and he made it known that it was a poor shot in the dressing room,” Di Venuto said.

“So I think most people would have heard that, they should have had a fair idea of what not to do. It was just one of those moments in the game when you’re under pressure from world-class bowlers, things happen sometimes, it’s unusual for him.”

With some players on a break sightseeing or playing golf and others still in training, the team is yet to conduct their review of the horror collapse on Sunday, but players will be told to keep faith in their plan under pressure. That includes playing the sweep shot judiciously if it is part of your game.

“Guys under pressure moved away from their plans of what worked, and you pay the consequence in this country,” Di Venuto said.

“Batting is pretty similar analogy, I think - you’ve got to swim between the flags in this country. If you go outside the flags, and your game plan, you are going to get in trouble.

“It was frenetic, it was panic, you saw exactly what we saw on the balcony. It was a procession of players going out and getting out. It is an easy place to get out early here. We are talking about two world-class bowlers in their home conditions - you’ve really got to trust your defence, have good attacking shots but smart ones. We didn’t see too much of that in second innings.

“It was like we got ahead of the game and thought if we get 50 runs real quick … you can’t think like that in this country. We’ve spoken about that, it’s not like it is something new. Pressure and panic does strange things. We saw a lot of people go out and try to sweep their way toward a score.

“If you’re coming over here and you’re not sweeper, and you’re trying to sweep, that’s not gonna work, which I think we have some good examples of that.”

News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.