Melbourne: Australia’s batsmen must balance aggression with discipline to combat India in the third Test in Sydney. This is what Marnus Labuschagne has said. The No.3 batsman in the Australian side feels that the Indian bowlers are bowling to a plan and so Australia will have to bat accordingly. Marnus Labuschagne also said he shouldn’t have thrown his wicket away after getting starts in the innings.
Australia have not surpassed 200 in either Test so far. They have struggled to break the shackles of a well-drilled Indian attack which has targeted the stumps. Also cheap runs have not been easily available as the Indian bowlers have stuck to proper length and line.
Much of the focus has been on Steve Smith’s struggles and his failure to reach double-figures in the series. Top order batsman Labuschagne has also had to battle for runs. He is yet to score a half century a year after dominating Pakistan and New Zealand on home pitches, Labuschagne paid credit to India’s bowlers but said Australia had to rise to the challenge.
“They’ve been very disciplined in their bowling and in their plans, with both spin and pace. I think they’ve really held that straight line,” said Labuschagne, who was dismissed for 48 and 28 in the second Test in here. “They’ve made us face a lot of balls for … a strike rate of about two runs an over. “We need to be very disciplined. And we also need to come up with ways to put them under pressure,” he added.
Labuschagne asserted that Australia will have to find a way to milk the Indian bowlers. “For us, it’s just making sure we keep finding ways to score… It doesn’t have to be pretty, but we just got to keep grinding and keep fighting away. If we do get in, we’ve got to make sure we get those big scores,” said Labuschagne
Australia won the opener in Adelaide. However, India’s eight-wicket win in Melbourne has left the four-match series poised at 1-1. The Sydney test starts January 7.
Opener Joe Burns has been dropped after twin failures with the bat in the Melbourne Test. David Warner has returned to the squad and is racing to recover from a groin strain.
Although close with Queensland teammate Burns, Labuschagne said Warner’s presence would give Australia a real boost.
“Someone with over 7,000 test runs and averaging near-on 50, he’s (Warner) a superb player,” said Labuschagne. “I think he’s in that top calibre of player. Just his energy that he will bring around the group and his energy in the field will be terrific,” added Labuschagne.