"Not the best form or mindset" - Salman Butt slams Marnus Labuschagne after his poor return in 1st ODI
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt believes that Australia's star batter Marnus Labuschagne is not in the right frame of mind in the ongoing tour of India.
He, however, emphasized that it wasn't a matter of concern for the Australian team, as every player is bound to go through such a period. Speaking about Labuschagne's lack of form, here's what Butt said on his YouTube channel:
"I think Marnus Labuchagne is not the best form or mindset. Yes, he is technically very sound, but even these kinds of players go through such phases. A struggling tour comes, but it isn't a big concern."
Marnus Labuschagne started the tour with a promising 49-run knock in the Test series opener against India in Nagpur. While the No. 1-ranked batter got off to decent starts on a few occasions, he failed to convert them into big knocks.
The right-handed batter did score a fine half-century in the final Test in Ahmedabad, remaining unbeaten on 63 in the second innings. Labuschagne finished with 244 runs and was the second-highest run-getter for his side in the series.
The 28-year-old endured a failure in the opening ODI against the Men in Blue on Friday, mustering just 15 runs before falling to Kuldeep Yadav.
"India have looked a better side than Australia on most occasions" - Salman Butt
Speaking in the aforementioned video, Salman Butt further pointed out how Australia has failed to dominate India, even in their own backyard, in the recent past.
The former cricketer suggested that India looked like a better team when compared to Australia. Commenting on the team's performances in their ongoing tour of India, he said:
"Australia never dominated India even while playing at home. They are on par with India even in those conditions. In fact, India have defeated them a lot lately. India have looked a better side than Australia on most occasions."
The Indian side won the four-match Test series against Australia 2-1 to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the fourth straight time. The hosts clinched victory in the first ODI as well to take a 1-0 lead.
India bagged the first ODI, courtesy to a brilliant knock by KL Rahul ❤️🔥
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The two nations will next be seen in action during the second ODI of the three-match rubber. The match will be played at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. March 19.