Marnus Labuschagne's 'challenge' for R Ashwin, Bumrah ahead of IND vs AUS: 'Whether it's Jasprit or any other bowler…'
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The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is one of the most marquee series in the cricket calendar. India and Australia have formed quite a rivalry off late and the battle between these two powerhouses is always a treat to the eyes. The 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, will arguably go down as one of the best bilateral series, if not the best. Right-handed Marnus Labuschagne had a memorable 2020-21 series as he finished as the leading run-getter with 426 runs in four matches at an average of 53.25.
The batter would hope to replicate his performance this time around, come November 22, 2024. Marnus Labuschagne is a vital cog in the Australian batting lineup and he along with Steve Smith, holds the key, if Australia want to end their barren run against India.
It is important to mention that Australia last won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy during the 2014-15 series, and since then, India has managed to have the wood over Australia. Ahead of the upcoming five-match series between Australia and India, Hindustan Times caught up with Marnus Labuschagne who has played 50 Tests so far for Australia.
During the chat, Marnus opened up on how he sees the upcoming series against India, the battle against Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin, losing Cameron Green and how much pressure there is on Australia to win the BGT this time around.
Excerpts:
Australia last played a Test in March 2024, and India are coming on the back of a home season. Do you think not playing Tests for almost 6 months would be a disadvantage?
The schedule is so packed these days, so having a bit of down time at home before a big summer has been good. The standard of our domestic competition is excellent and great preparation for the summer ahead. Our bowlers will also be coming into the series reasonably fresh, which is exciting to see. We'll all be raring to go.
Coming into bat at No.3, you along with Steve Smith, hold the key to Australia's batting. With you both being cricket nuts, have you had any conversations with Smudge on how to go about things in BGT?
Steve and I haven't had any specific conversations about the BGT yet. I've been focussed on my cricket for Queensland and Steve, I'd imagine, for NSW. We've both played a few BGT series now and understand how significant they are, but I'm sure we'll have some discussions closer to the start of the series.
How excited are you for the upcoming series against India? Considering India beat Australia at home during the last two series, how much pressure do you think there is on Australia?
No more pressure than usual. Every time you put on the Baggy Green, you always expect to be able to win, especially with the levels of experience and skill we have in our current team. It's going to be an awesome summer.
How big of a blow is losing Cameron Green for the upcoming series against India?
Cam is obviously a big part of our team and I'm really disappointed for him to have to miss the summer. He's a great guy and a rare talent who's has a huge impact in all 3 facets of the game. That said, we're lucky in Australian cricket to have so many great players who can come in and help fill his spot and do a great job themselves.
Jasprit Bumrah is possibly one of the best pacers going around. How challenging is it to face him, and do you think he holds the X-factor for India, heading into the BGT?
Jasprit is a sensational bowler. His skill is undeniable and it's always a great challenge to come up against some of the best players in our game, whether it's Jasprit or any other great bowler. That's what you want as a batsman. To challenge your skills and find ways to win the contest. whether it's Jasprit or any other bowler.
During the 2020-21 tour, Ravichandran Ashwin had managed to dismiss you and Steve Smith on quite a few occasions. Are there any special plans to tackle him around?
Ravi is a great bowler, and his longevity in the game as an off-spinner shows the enormous quality he brings to the table. Ravi and I have had some great discussions about the game and I think he'll be working on all sorts of different plans. I'd be disappointed if he didn't!
Rishabh Pant has been a thorn in Australia's way for the past couple of series Down Under. As per you, what makes him such an exciting player, and is he the biggest threat for Australia?
Rishabh has a great ability to counterattack and take the game on, which we've seen him do all around the world. His ability when India is under pressure to come in and turn the momentum is undeniable so it's up to us to have the plans and execution to stop him from doing that in this series.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have not been in their best form heading into the BGT. Is this an advantage to Australia already?
Rohit and Virat are both class players. World class. As we've all seen so many times in the past, you can never count them out, especially in the biggest moments. We'll obviously look to put pressure on them and hopefully for us they both have a quiet series.
Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal are two promising Indian batters. What do you make of them?
All the Indian batsmen have the ability to take the game away from you, so we'll be looking to put pressure on all those guys and get them out early.
The last time around, Australia bundled out India for 36 in the D/N Test. India and Australia once again play a pink ball Test, would there be sledging and would you guys cheekily remind India of the 36 all out?
That innings was awesome to be a part of as the fielding side, but we never get ahead of ourselves. We'll wait and see what happens.
