A couple of moments on the second day in Adelaide belied what Test cricket stands for, or rather reaffirmed the transmogrifying avatar of the format. Not that he channelized his inner maverick in a delicate scenario unprecedentedly but Rishabh Pant advanced to flay Scott Boland for a boundary first ball with India tottering at 66-3, having lost bulwark Virat Kohli on the previous delivery. Nitish Reddy took an agricultural swipe on the final ball of the day, with Boland again being at the receiving end of such mind-boggling daredevilry as the ball carromed off the inside edge to find the square leg fence.
This level of batting enterprise stood in complete contrast to how Marnus Labuschagne has approached Test cricket of late. In the fifth Ashes Test last year, fresh off a hundred, he scored 9 off 82 balls. In February’s Wellington Test, Labuschagne managed 1 off 27. More recently, he dawdled to 2 off 52 against India in Perth. “It’s pretty impossible to kind of dismiss or ignore some of the commentary about perhaps being a little bit more proactive,’’ Australian skipper Pat Cummins spoke ahead of the second Test.
Labuschagne was occupying the crease for prolonged periods but the time spent in the middle wasn’t equating to the meaningful contributions he is known to deliver ever since he made a splash as a concussion substitute. It may well have become a Catch-22 situation where he was hoping that enough scoring opportunities will be presented if he grinds long enough but the default setting of survival won’t let him capitalize when they came along.
Seven single-figure dismissals feature in his last ten innings before the Adelaide Test and his average in that phase would have been worse but for an innings of 90 against New Zealand. Not only was Labuschagne attracting the ‘strokeless’ tag but also questions on his place in a team historically renowned for its cut-throat nature. Pundit Michael Vaughan opined that a fussy cricketer like Labuschagne may fall into an overthinking spiral in a bid to fix his game and recommended a break to clear his headspace.
“It’s always a combination of factors, isn’t it, with the mindset?” Australian coach Andrew McDonald weighed in on Labuschagne’s rut.“When we’ve seen him at his best, he’s shown great intent at the crease.’’
‘’The challenge is always going out there and making sure you have that mindset.’’ Cummins reiterated the expectation from the Australian No.3 as the think-tank backed him in spite of Josh Inglis’ red-hot form in the Sheffield Shield.
Those who reposed their faith in him would be content with what they saw on the second morning in Adelaide. Having negotiated the pink ball in the strenuous twilight period along with Nathan McSweeney on the opening day, Labuschagne made hay while the sun shone. As India set out to bowl tighter at the stumps the drives and the flicks made an appearance, happy to switch base from the nets to the centerstage at the end of an unprolific year. These shots gleamed with purpose albeit their execution was technically refined as Labuschagne waited for the ball to come to him and focused on timing it well rather than exerting the kind of desperate energy that courses through the body of an underperforming batter at the very sight of a hit-me ball.
The fact that extra bounce is a prominent characteristic of Australian surfaces was evident in Rishabh Pant’s reverse-cupped gathering of balls pitching even on a full length in the first innings. The pacers have threatened the shoulder of the bat throughout – cue the dismissals of KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant on Day 1 and the bevy of fours down to third man – but Labuschagne mustered up the courage to dab Harshit Rana either side of gully in an over that contributed heavily to his figures of 16-0-86-0.
It can also be hypothesized that Labuschagne, looking to consciously express himself, benefited from having a ruffian in Travis Head for company. No matter how much the opposition compartmentalizes the field setting for the two batters operating in different ways, the fear instilled by the swashbuckler has a bearing on how the fielders position themselves even when the milder guy is on strike. Their footsteps might retreat to the edge of the ring or their starts may not be as aggressive, laying a fertile ground for quick singles and catches dropping short. Thanks to Head’s phenomenal scoring rate Australia were 111 ahead when the second new ball arrived, so even though India claimed the last five wickets for 55 the lead remained healthy.
India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel defended Rana, who capitulated in the face of a no-holds-barred attack from Head with the crowd right behind the local boy. ‘’Test cricket is a tough, tough place. There is nowhere to hide. He is playing his second Test match, he will learn from these conversations. The biggest thing for us, for me, is to put my arms around him. Playing in front of 50,000 people, it’s not easy,’’ empathized Morkel.
‘’He is a player with a lot of potential. It’s for us to make him feel that we as a team back him, which we do. To keep having conversations on him, for him to keep on learning, ask good questions on how he can get better, going into the next Test match for his own personal growth. Days like today are helpful; they are painful but it will help you along the way.”
Having received unequivocal support and encouragement from the leadership group in tough times, Labuschagne must be relating hard to Morkel’s words.
