IND vs AUS: Marnus Labuschagne dropped for the second time in 5 overs as Shaw drops sitter [WATCH]
Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne’s lucky run at the crease continued as the batsman was dropped for the second time on Day 2 of the India vs Australia Test match.
Marnus Labuschagne earned an early reprieve after Jasprit Bumrah dropped a routine catch at the boundary rope in the 18th over, with the fast bowler misjudging how close he was to the boundary.
About 5 overs later, Marnus Labuschagne rode his luck again as India’s fielding struggles continued, with Prithvi Shaw making a mess of a routine catch.
Prithvi Shaw’s horror start to the Test continues as he drops Marnus Labuschagne
The incident occurred off the fourth ball of the 23rd over, with Jasprit Bumrah bowling to Marnus Labuschagne. The Indian pacer bowled a quick bouncer, which was mistimed by the Australian batsman as he tried to pull towards square leg. Marcus Labuschagne could only get a top edge with his shot and looked set to depart.
Prithvi Shaw, standing at square leg, looked well set to complete a routine dismissal as he ran backwards to catch the ball. However, Prithvi Shaw ended up making a glaring mistake, as he fumbled the catch while trying to complete it over his head.
The dropped catch meant that Prithvi Shaw made headlines for all the wrong reasons on Day 2 of the India vs Australia Test. The young opener had earlier attracted the wrath of pundits and fans after he was dismissed for a duck on the second ball of the Test match on Day 1.
Marnus Labuschagne rides his luck during India vs Australia Test
It remains to be seen just how much the dropped catches will end up costing the Indian side. The visitors have now missed a couple of chances to dismiss Marnus Labuschagne early on.
A few overs before Prithvi Shaw’s dropped catch, Jasprit Bumrah himself made a meal of a simple catch at fine leg as he misjudged the Australian batsman’s shot.
The batsman is certainly riding his luck early on and also got lucky while facing just his third ball of his innings. After Marnus Labuschagne got a thick edge off a Jasprit Bumrah delivery early on, the ball didn’t carry and fell just short as Wriddhiman Saha's dive went in vain.
With Steve Smith departing cheaply as well, the onus will now be on Marnus Labuschagne to do the bulk of the scoring. Despite the streaky start to his innings, the Australian batsman has made his way to an unbeaten 54 ball 37.