Ahead of the first Test against India at Perth, Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne said that his side would be looking to play the “long game” while batting in order to tire out and pressurise bowlers, something which Indian veteran Cheteshwar Pujara had done in on past two tours. As both sides, placed first and second in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) table, look to secure their title clash chances, their fast bowling attacks on bouncy, fast surfaces would hold the key. Team India is fielding a relatively inexperienced line-up of leading pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, who will be supported by newer stars like Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna and Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Labuschagne, the highest run-getter from 2020-21 BGT series in Australia with 426 runs in four matches, averaging 53.25 with a century and two fifties, wants Australian batting to feast on this inexperience and just bat, bat and bat, making his opponents bowl longer spells and wear themselves down.
“It is (series) going to be important for all of us. I think the way we play, we are at our best when we’re playing the long game. 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 is really important,” said Labuschagne as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
“Because as you get into the third, fourth, fifth Test, if they are trying to play the same team, and those bowlers are rolling into 100, 150, 200 overs by the third Test, it is going to make a big difference in the series,” he added.
Just putting things in perspective, Pujara played 1,258 balls on the 2018-19 tour to Australia and 928 deliveries during the 2020-21 series, scoring 521 runs and 271 runs respectively. Across both series. Only Labuschagne (850 balls) and Steve Smith (684 balls) could touch 600-plus balls, with their efforts coming in the 2020-21 series loss.
Pujara’s sheer stubborness to attack, determination and solid defence provided a wall-like protection to other batters, who would attack the bowlers who would just get tired of bowling.
During the Sheffield Shield season for Queensland and during the practice sessions, Marnus has delivered quite a lot of medium pace, presenting himself as a solid addition to the Aussie bowling attack which could help reduce workload of skipper Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. With 13 Test wickets and 84 first-class scalps, he no doubt could be a decent alternate for Aussies to turn to.
Even Labuschagne said that he enjoys bowling, especially bowlers. He expressed confidence in his body’s durability to bowl a solid number of overs everyday.
“I bowled one bouncer and I think Mitchell Starc said, ‘We have got short memories’. And I said, ‘Well, I am going to get them anyway, so I might as well dish them out. There is nothing more enjoyable than bowling bouncers. I love it.”
“There was a bit worry. When I bowled I think about 28 overs of pace in a Shield game, and my workloads were zero before then, so some would say that is a big spike. But my body’s pretty durable.”
“It is something that I have done from a young age. I have always bowled pace,” he concluded.
After the series opener in Perth on November 22, the second Test, featuring the day-night format, will take place under lights at Adelaide Oval from December 6 to 10.
Fans will then turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test from December 14 to 18.
The traditional Boxing Day Test, scheduled from December 26 to 30 at Melbourne’s iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, will mark the series’ penultimate stage.
The fifth and final Test will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, promising an exciting climax to a highly anticipated series.
India’s squad for Border-Gavaskar Series: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli, Prasidh Krishna, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar.
Australia squad for the first Test: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc.
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