"He's trying to bowl the ball before I'm ready" - Marnus Labuschagne on his duel with Ravichandran Ashwin on Day 3 in Indore
Number one-ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne has opened up on his duel with Ravichandran Ashwin on Day 3 of the third Test in Indore. The right-handed batter revealed that the off-spinner disturbed his rhythm, due to which he backed out of facing him initially.
Day 3 of the third Test in Indore saw Labuschagne expressing qualms about facing Ashwin due to his short run-up. With umpire Joel Wilson and Indian captain Rohit Sharma also intervening, Australia's No. 3 got ready after the off-spinner returned to the top of the mark.
Speaking to The Age, Labuschagne revealed that he had synced himself with Ashwin's run-up but the off-spinner shortened it, making it hard for him to be ready.
The 26-year-old revealed:
"He turned to a short run and I wasn’t watching because I had the rhythm of his run-up, so my routine stays to that rhythm. So I was like ‘I’m not facing up because I’m going to look down and then he’s going to bowl the ball’. I did it a few times, just pulled away. Then Joel came down and said ‘you have to face up when he’s ready’ and I said ‘happy to face up Joel, but he’s trying to bowl the ball before I’m ready.'"
The South African-born batter conceded that he sensed a momentum shift from India to Australia and that Ashwin's tactics made for a great spectacle out there.
"I credit him because I could sense the momentum of the game was shifted or potentially gone, but he’s so cagey and so good at the small things. I appreciate where he’s coming from. I understand, hence I’m not facing up, because I know what you’re trying to do. It’s great cricket and great theatre."
Ashwin has dismissed Labuschagne only once in this series, with Ravindra Jadeja claiming his wicket on the remaining occasions. The right-hander's highest score so far in the series is 49.
"Nice feeling when you almost wind the crowd down" - Marnus Labuschagne
Speaking of the nine-wicket win in Indore, the right-hander iterated that it was an amazing feeling to silence the crowd. He added:
"It’s a nice feeling when you almost wind the crowd down. The crowd dictates to you when the game is shifting towards you. It’s nice to hear when the crowd goes dead silent and you can sense that you’re on top."
Although Ashwin and Jadeja made Australia work to get the required 76 runs on Day 3, the tourists won rather comfortably in the end.