"I am who I am because I am obsessed" - Marnus Labuschagne
Star Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne has opened up about his self-obsession ahead of the Test series against South Africa.
Labuschagne has always managed to steal the limelight, right from the moment he replaced Steve Smith as the first concussion substitute in the history of Test cricket during the 2019 Ashes.
With 3041 runs in 30 Tests at an average of 60.82, Labuschagne recently became the second-fastest player to score 3000 Test runs. He amassed a whopping 502 runs in four innings at 167.33 during the two-Test series against the West Indies on home soil.
In the recently updated ICC Men's Test batting rankings on Wednesday, December 14, the No. 1 Test batter equaled Virat Kohli with a career-high rating of 937 points, which is the 11th best Test rating of all time.
Only three Australian players have received higher ratings in their Test careers: Sir Donald Bradman (961), Steve Smith (947), and Ricky Ponting (942).
Speaking to reporters in Brisbane on Wednesday, three days ahead of the first Test against the Proteas, Labuschagne stated:
"I am who I am because I am obsessed and I am obsessive, I love to try and get better each time and each day. I think that part, hopefully it never stops for me because I think that's what makes me who I am."
"My family support the Australian Cricket team" - says South Africa-born Marnus Labuschagne
The 28-year-old, who was born in South Africa's Klerksdorp city in the North West Province, is all set to play his first Test against his country of birth.
Reflecting on his time in South Africa and the thoughts of facing Dean Elgar and Co. in the first Test, Labuschagne mentioned:
"My family have adopted Australia as their home and they support me, they support the Australian cricket team. But I certainly think it's always exciting what this Test holds because it's a little bit closer to my heart, because it's the country where I grew up and where I spent ten years of my life."
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Australia and South Africa will play their first Test series since the ball-tampering saga in Cape Town in 2018. The first Test of the three-match series starts on December 17 at the Gabba in Brisbane.