Marnus Labuschagne's first assignment with the Australian limited-overs team is in India, which is considered a very difficult tour, and his more experienced teammate and middle-order batting partner Steve Smith is hoping the youngster goes through fine, able to take the confidence gained from early success at the Test level forward to the 50-over arena. 

Labuschagne has lit up the scenes in whites since replacing Smith as a concussion substitute at Lord's during the Ashes in UK, showing a lot of gumption in difficult conditions against England before dominating Pakistan and New Zealand throughout the Aussie summer. 

Read Also:Marnus Labuschagne wants to bat at vital No.3 position in ODIs

"That's is the real challenge for him now, having that amazing series, there's going to be that expectation there now and it's about managing that," cricket.com.au quoted Smith as saying before the first ODI in Mumbai on January 14. 

"The thing I like about Marnus is his willingness to learn and how quickly he picks things up, and if he continues to do that, he's going to be a huge player for Australia for a long time."

Chief selector Trevor Hohns picked Labuschagne for this trip after being impressed with his ability to tackle spin at the Test level and in the List A games for Queensland back home. 

"He's got a good head on his shoulders, he's got that belief in himself now that he can do it, now it's about resetting the clock every time he goes out to play," Smith said. "He's got a really good understanding of how he wants to play and that's a huge thing for a young player."

"To have that understanding and be able to stick to something for a prolonged period of time and trust it's going to work, he's found that method now and I have no doubt he's going to get better."

(Inputs from cricket.com.au)