Marnus Labuschagne eyeing at number 3 batting position in ODI

Ahead of the ODI series against India, Australia in-form batsman Marnus Labuschagne is eyeing at the number three batting position in the side.

"I bat at three for Queensland so (I'd like to bat) three or four. Batting in the middle order for Queensland probably means that's why I'm here and what I've been selected for," cricket.com.au quoted Labuschagne as saying.

Labuschagne, who recently attained the career-best Test ranking and reached the number three spot, bats at number three in the longest format of the game.

The 25-year-old has moved up one slot after scores of 215 and 59 against New Zealand that not only made him the 'Player of the Match' but also helped him clinch the 'Player of the Series' award.

He was the highest scorer in the series with 549 runs, while his five previous Tests that include two at home against Pakistan, have seen him amass 896 runs.

The series against India will be his debut in the limited-overs of the game.

"I'm not sure where Steve's going to bat, I think that'll have a pretty big influence if I play, where I will play," he said.

The right-handed batsman said the series will be a challenge and termed the home side as "toughest opponent in the world at the moment in any format".

"They're the toughest opponent in the world at the moment in any format, so to be able to play them on their home grounds will be a real challenge and it's exciting," Labuschagne said.

"As a player, you want to play against the best and perform against the best and there's no better place to do it in India against India," he added.

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey (vc), Pat Cummins (vc), Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Kane Richardson, D'Arcy Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, David Warner, Adam Zampa.

India squad: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami.

The first ODI between India and Australia will be played at Wankhede Stadium on January 14.