Australian batting star Marnus Labuschagne has praised Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin while recalling his duel with him during the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Labuschagne, the number one-ranked Test batter, lauded the veteran off-spinner and said that Ashwin was very good at assessing batters.
File image of Marnus Labuschagne. AP
The four-match Test series was won by India 2-1. Ashwin’s performance in the series was the highlight as he picked up 12 wickets in three matches that he was a part of and also dismissed Labuschagne twice, leading India to a second successive Test series win Down Under.
Recalling his face-off with Ashwin, Labuschagne told Sportstar that he enjoyed facing the Indian off-spinner in the series. He felt that Ashwin had the ability to work out his opposition well and their battle almost felt like a chess game.
” What I loved most about Ashwin was the fields he had for me and how I was trying to move the field in my endeavor to score runs. Just the way both of us were able to chop and change in the middle of an engrossing passage,” said the right-handed batter.
Labuschagne mentioned that since Ashwin had picked up some vital aspects of his batting, he had to adapt continuously on the field to stay in the match. It prompted Labuschagne to play better and he found the game to be engrossing.
Labuschagne also praised Ashwin’s batting performance in the 2nd Test held at Melbourne, which was won by India.
However, he was quick to add that both him and Steve Smith played Ashwin well in the 3rd Test in Sydney, which was a draw.
Recalling his performance during the series, Labuschagne said that the change of venue and conditions also affected his performance during the match. He said that Ashwin got him out in the second innings. The off-spinner first got Labuschagne out at first slip – from round the wicket, and then bowled the undercutter. The Australian batter mentioned that some shots are harder to play in certain conditions and at times, plans are not negotiated on the field due to the venue.
Recently, Indian off-spinner Ashwin had revealed in an interview to Cricket Monthly that he was always good at assessing batters and has now mastered the art by taking it to another level. He had also mentioned how he observed Labuschagne’s batting and picked up certain cues. Ashwin had said that the World No. 1 Test batter would step out and hit the ball over cow corner against an off-spinner, or could also hit it over mid-off. Ashwin had seen a number of footages of the Australian batter to pick up his batting style in order to plan his moves.
The Australian team will tour India in 2023 to play 4 Tests, 3 ODIs and as many T20Is. It is also set to make a few sub-continent tours later this year. Labuschagne has some new tricks up his sleeve and hopes that he will get the opportunity to challenge himself in these sub-continent tours before he makes his tour to India.
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,
India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.