Teammate's insight into skipper Warner

David Warner's Indian Premier League-winning teammate Ben Cutting has no doubt the dashing opener is ready to handle the responsibility of Australian cricket's top job.

Warner, whose only captaincy experience of note has come in the IPL, will become Australia's 23rd one-day international captain on Sunday after Steve Smith announced his early exit from the Qantas Tour of Sri Lanka, which he hopes will revitalise him ahead of a busy nine months of cricket.

Warner will also become Australia's 10th T20 captain – and their fourth this year – for the matches in Pallekele and Colombo next month and Cutting, who played under Warner in the Sunrisers Hyderabad's triumphant IPL campaign this year, says the 29-year-old is ready to step up to international level

"Without a doubt," Cutting told cricket.com.au. "That's Davey's character.

Quick Single: Explosive T20 side for Warner to lead

"It doesn't matter what team he's playing in. He could be captaining grade cricket back in Sydney, I think he's still going to be the same person regardless of what team he's leading.

"And that can only be a really good thing."

Cutting, the man of the match in the IPL final and one of only a handful of players to have played under Warner's captaincy, says his skipper's leadership style in the coming weeks won't come as a surprise to anyone.

There will be no rousing pre-game speeches or inspirational calls-to-arms, rather more of the same from the man who was officially unveiled as Smith's deputy little more than 12 months ago.

"He's pretty much the David Warner we get to see when he's playing for Australia," Cutting said. "He's direct and to the point.

"When David Warner speaks, everybody listens because the experience he's got behind him is one of a kind and pretty special.

"Someone of his mould ... particularly with a young squad that we had (in the IPL), he was the glue that kept everyone together.

"He’s a bowler's captain. He'll let you set whatever field you want and let you back yourself, no matter how out there your field can be at times in a Twenty20. So it's pretty good having him in your corner.

"He's always in and around the ring near the bowler to bounce ideas off and will move fielders here and there a little bit. But ultimately it's up to the bowler and he fully backs you 100 per cent, which is what you want in a captain."

Warner's elevation to Australian limited-overs cricket's highest post completes a remarkable transformation from the brash opener who first burst onto the international scene seven-and-a-half years ago.

While the younger Warner was prone to a rush of blood on occasions, both on the field and off it, he's transitioned into one of Australia's most reliable batsmen and inspirational figures on the field, as well as a loving husband and father off it.

Quick Single: Recognition for Warner the father

But Cutting, who was Australia's 12th man when Warner made his Test debut against New Zealand almost five years ago, says the left-hander's captaincy potential has always been there to see.

"I've always sort of seen him in that leadership mould right from early on," he said.

"The way he goes about things on the field with his game, his character and his temperament with the bat and in the field and every now and then with the ball, (it) just drags everyone along with him.

"In saying that, everyone has lean games and misses out every now and then. But even when that happens, he doesn't let that get to him or anyone else or his captaincy.

"It's the same Davey Warner whether he's scoring bulk runs or not."

And Warner's ability to keep his troops motivated despite his own form will come to the fore in the lead-up to Sunday's third ODI against Sri Lanka in Dambulla with the five-match series locked at 1-1.

Having averaged almost 64 in ODI cricket this year before the current series in Sri Lanka, including two centuries and two scores in the nineties, the left-hander managed just 8 and 1 in Colombo, the first time since 2009 he's posted single-figure scores in consecutive ODIs.