New Delhi: Australia are convinced their out-of-sorts top-order batter Marnus Labuschagne remain the right man to tackle Indian bowlers even after an underwhelming performance in their 295-run loss in the first Test.
But they feel the No.3 batter needs to adopt a bolder approach to counter India’s pace attack led by Jasprit Bumrah that had his number at the Optus Stadium.
Labuschagne made two and three in the two innings and has been dismissed for seven single-figure scores in his last eight innings, putting him under pressure.
The right hander was adjudged leg before wicket in both innings, unable to sort out his footwork and inability to score that has Australia worried.
“We look at the way he plays, and when he’s at his best – and when we’ve seen him at his best he’s shown great intent at the crease,” Australia coach Andrew McDonald said.
“That’s an ongoing discussion and that ebbs and flows in players’ careers, so at the moment he’s in one of those patches and no doubt he’ll be getting critiqued externally.
“But internally we’re really confident that, at his best, he’s the player that we need.”
No changes to squad
The 30-year-old Labuschagne has been one of Australia’s leading batters, with 11 hundreds helping him to the world No. 1 spot earlier. Australia are not keen to make any major changes to the team that lost in Perth.
“The same people in that changeroom are the same people that will be in Adelaide,” Mcdonald said.
“I think the way we play, we’re at our best when we’re playing the long game,” he had said last week.
“We understand that getting them back for their second and third spells, putting them under pressure and letting them come to us and us putting pressure back on them through overs in the field and time in the game, especially over a five-Test series, that’s really important.”
Australia top-order batter Marnus Labuschagne made two and three in the two innings of the Perth Test against India and has been dismissed for seven single-figure scores in his last eight innings Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
