Adelaide, Dec 8 (IANS): Before the ongoing day-night Test at the Adelaide Oval, Australia top-order batter Marnus Labuschagne was going through a horrid run of form. The right-handed batter, who once held the top position in men’s Test batters rankings, had amassed just 658 runs in his last 13 Tests at an average of 27.41, with only one century and five fifties to show.
But on day two’s play, Labuschagne looked more assured and presented his vintage self by hitting a 126-ball 64 and supporting Travis Head’s 140 as Australia made 337 in their first innings and take a 152-run lead over India. Labuschagne said him making 64 was made possible by him going to what he knew about his game and yielded him good results in the past.
"I obviously got a lot of messages from different people, a lot of support, and a lot of people with different advice. I sort of sat back and I just thought, how have I got to this position? How have I got to playing for Australia? What are the things that I've done? What are the foundations of that? It got back to going away from the game isn't going to make me a better player, never has and I'm not sure it will.
"So I reverted back to what I know best is go back, draw on board, look at footage, look at what I need to get done, where are the positions I want to be in, the things that are important to me. I hit every day up to the Test from when we finished. So, just went back to what I know.
"Like I said, try to work out through each day of training, where I wanted to get to by the first Test, spoke to some different people about some small technical things that I felt like I had to get right to like we were going to speak about getting into the ball a little bit better, kind of being able to get a little bit more, not forward, but just into the ball on that good length and being able to look to score and being in a position to put the bowler under pressure if they miss," he said to broadcasters Channel Seven ahead of day three’s play.
He also felt making small technical changes, like meeting the ball more forward, also got him back to his run-scoring self. "It's certainly not a conscious decision but I think obviously the wicket changed. So, coming from Perth to Adelaide, the bounce of the wicket tends to be - you're playing at a lot more of these balls compared to in Perth.
"You're probably letting more of these balls go. So, probably just that and then probably a few tactical things to make sure that we get on top of that really good area that Jasprit bowled in Perth and finding a way that we can combat that.
"So, the learnings from the first game but absolutely, this is the product of probably the small technical change that was made and me being able to get back into the ball much better which then resulted into when I did get some rhythm, I was able to then put the bowlers under pressure," Labuschagne said.
In his knock, Labuschagne brought his wrists into play, and employing his trademark flick shot against stump-to-stump deliveries with great effect. He attributed it to the Indian bowlers giving him more run-making opportunities on day two.
“I certainly felt like the morning coming back, I mean, I actually felt like that night session, Nathan and I batted really well. The things that I value making sure that making those good decisions around that off stump, getting into the ball, defending, presenting a good face when the ball does move, playing and missing because I'm holding the line nicely.
"They're the things I value and doing that hard work the night before, being one for 85, getting through two hours under lights. I just felt like the morning came and their bowlers just presented more scoring options rather than me potentially changing how I was playing from the night before. Then we were able to capitalise on that, get a bit of rhythm and then obviously be able to build a partnership there with Nathan and then Travis," he added.