The premier Australian batter, Marnus Labuschagne is gearing up for his epic battle with veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin as heavyweights India and Australia will be locking horns with each other to resume their rivalry in the second edition of the ICC World Test Championship on Thursday.
With the 2023 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy scheduled to commence in less than 24 hours, former Indian Premier League (IPL) winners Rajasthan Royals (RR) shared a tweet about the incredible match-up between Ashwin and Labuschagne. Taking to Twitter ahead of the 1st Test between the two top-ranked Test teams, IPL giants RR teased the ‘Labuschagne vs Ashwin’ match-up on the microblogging site.
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Taking cognizance of the tweet, Marnus Labuschagne replied with just a couple of words as the World No.1 batter is looking forward to engaging in the ‘chess battle’ with the spin wizard. Labuschagne’s response became an instant hit among the fans and followers of the game on the internet.
Can’t wait
— Marnus Labuschagne (@marnus3cricket) February 7, 2023
R Ashwin got the better of Labuschagne a couple of times in the previous edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, the Australian batter ended up finishing the 2020-21 bilateral series as the leading run-scorer. Labuschagne amassed 426 runs and the star batter achieved a stunning average of 53.25 in the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
As per the quotes in cricket.com.au, Marnus Labuschagne said, “I’ve changed some of my game because of what I’ve heard about Ashwin and how he bowled to me. I’ve adapted my game to try and foil a few of his ideas and ways he goes about it. It’s going to be a lovely game of chess and I can’t wait for it.”
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Marnus Labuschagne, who will turn 29 in June, has played 33 Tests for Australia. The premier batter has accumulated 3150 runs with an average of 59.43 in Test cricket. Labuschagne has amassed 10 centuries and 14 fifties in Test cricket. Labuschagne’s nemesis Ashwin will spearhead India’s bowling attack in the four-match Test series against Australia. Ashwin has bagged 449 wickets in 88 Test matches for India.
