“I was just resting my eyes between balls and just relaxing" - Marnus Labuschagne clears the air over his power nap on Day 3 of WTC final
Australia batter Marnus Labuschagne was called into action early in the second innings as well, right when he was in the middle of a serene power nap in the pavilion of The Oval. The No.1-ranked Test batter came into bat in the fourth over following David Warner's dismissal and finished the day unbeaten on 41 runs after a 118-ball vigil.
Cameras pointed towards the dressing room where Marnus Labuschagne seemed to be relishing a short nap while the openers went about their business out in the middle. However, the reaction from the Indian crowd after Warner's wicket, woke the batter in a jolt as he proceeded to wear his helmet and make his way out to the pitch to bat.
Mohammed Siraj's searing deliveries that rose from a length seemed to have done the trick to wake Labuschagne up instantly. The batter was involved in a couple of mix-ups with Usman Khawaja but survived and negotiated the deteriorating pitch to be the last man standing among the Australian top-order batters.
Revealing that he was just trying to rest his eyes and taking a step back from all of the action, Labuschagne told SEN Cricket at the end of Day 3:
“I was just resting my eyes between balls and just relaxing. I was trying to calm my nerves a little bit, you can’t watch the game all the time, I got up there and was awake pretty soon. I didn’t have too many rests there when Siraj banged that first one in.”
The batter copped several blows to his glove but weathered the storm to settle in and help Australia build their lead.
Labuschagne stands tall with his resilient knock amid India's resurgence
The Men in Blue clawed their way back into the contest after a disappointing set of days in the WTC final. Led by Ajinkya Rahane's 89 and a half-century by Shardul Thakur, Team India posted 296 in their first innings.
Ravindra Jadeja got into the act late on Day 3 by dismissing both the centurions from the first innings. Mohammed Siraj and Umesh Yadav got a wicket apiece as well.
Labuschagne, with his unbeaten 41, is the top scorer for Australia in the second innings and has Cameron Green for company at the other end. The Aussies have racked up a 296-run lead at the end of Day 3 after scoring 123-4 in 44 overs in their second innings so far.
Will the No.1 ranked Test batter hamper Team India's plans on Day 4 of the WTC final? Let us know what you think.