Marnus Labuschagne is excited about the Test series against India later this year when Australia strives to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on home shores, even if the traditional Boxing Day Test is taken away from MCG with Victoria reporting a spike in COVID-19 positive cases.
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"At the end of the day, we want India to be here and we want it to be a great series. It’s going to be very exciting. Can’t wait," he told Sportstar.
"Everyone knows where they want the Boxing Day Test to be. But if that can’t happen, then we have to make sure that cricket is still going ahead, and if that means playing in a different state, that’s what’s going to happen."
"If not the MCG, then I wouldn’t mind playing the Boxing Day Test at the Gabba...have always loved playing in Brisbane," he added.
Labuschagne has taken giant strides as a batsman since he last faced an Indian bowling attack. The 25-year-old is especially looking forward to test his game against ace quick Jasprit Bumrah, who was instrumental to the visitors' historic 2-1 result the last trip.
“I always like challenging myself against the best...and Bumrah is one of the best, probably across all formats. So, it is always nice when we are coming up against him because he is a high-class bowler. It’s match-ups like these that make Test cricket so enjoyable and challenging."
Labuschagne is just determined to perform when he next wears the traditional whites and isn't as wary of the imminent deafening silence at stadiums during the India tussle amid the pandemic.
"I don’t think the Indian team will be thinking about it (no crowds) too much because it is definitely something that you need to get used to," he said.
"I don’t know if it affects the performance of a player, but it definitely adds a different feel. It’s a bit more quiet-eyed...a little more internal, you are thinking about your own thoughts a bit more as opposed to the loud environs when you are playing in front of 50,000-odd supporters. You sort of miss that echoing noise."
"It’s kind of like going back to playing club cricket where there aren’t too many people watching anyway. I’m sure like any other great team they’ll find a way around that and come up with a way to perform with or without crowds," Labuschagne added.
A county regular and someone who only last winter played his first set of limited-overs matches for Australia, Labuschagne, however, doesn't want to be pigeonholed as a Test specialist and wishes to progress into a successful all-format batsman, in the vein of Virat Kohli, Steve Smith & co.
"He (Kohli) averages 53 in Test cricket, 59 in ODIs (One-Day Internationals) and 50 in T20Is (Twenty20 Internationals)... If that’s not a world-class player, then I don’t know who is... There are so many things about his game that’s good. That said, I try and imbibe the good from all batters, not just the top guys. There’s so much to learn from how each cricketer goes about his craft," said Labuschagne.
An IPL stint, Labuschagne realises, could play an effective role in his all-round development.
"If an opportunity comes up to be involved in the Indian Premier League, then definitely... When it comes to pitching yourself against the best players in the shortest format, there is no better competition than the IPL," he concluded.
