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In form or struggling to find runs, Marnus Labuschagne is not one to sit down and endure the digs made at him. The Australian top-order batter has not been at his best in the longer format for quite some time. However, the 30-year-old player redeemed himself in Adelaide with a half-century in the second BGT Test. The knock toned down some burning opinions questioning his place in the team for the all-important five-match series against India. Meanwhile, former Australian opener David Warner found a point to critique his former teammate's technique, despite Labuschagne’s 64-run knock.
Marnus Labuschagne hits back at David Warner for finding faults in his game awareness
As Marnus Labuschagne returned to the league of runs with his 64 in the second Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy, it marked a shift from his prior struggles. Before the pink-ball Test, Australia's No. 3 batter displayed troubling form against the Indian lineup, headlined by Jasprit Bumrah, in Perth. The batter got lucky early in his knock when Virat Kohli dropped a sitter in the opening BGT Test. However, Labuschagne looked uncomfortable throughout his stay at the crease, managing just 2 off 52 balls before Mohammed Siraj trapped him LBW.
Fortunes changed for Labuschagne as they did for Australia in Adelaide. As the team thrashed the visitors by 10 wickets in the day-night fixture, Labuschagne scripted a turnaround. While his performance flew under the radar compared to Travis Head’s blazing ton, the top-order batter managed to contribute with a half-century. However, shortly after reaching the 50-run mark, he handed a catch to Yashasvi Jaiswal at gully. Meanwhile, his former teammate David Warner noted a pattern in Labuschagne’s dismissals after crossing 50, suggesting it was a recurring flaw.
"I'm still not convinced with Marnus. I don’t think that was anywhere near what we know he’s capable of. He might have got a couple out of the middle, got a couple of freebies, batted well that night to get through, but they bowled poorly. From that perspective, he had the best conditions to come out and bat in. But he got out the same way he always does when he gets over 50, hitting it straight to gully. There’s a lack of awareness there of what he’s got to be mindful of. I don’t think he’s anywhere near where he should be," Warner had said.
Now, as Australia and India prepare for the third Test of the series at Gabba, Labuschagne has responded to Warner's comments. Labuschagne doesn’t seem to agree with Warner’s perspective, denying any pattern in his dismissals. Refuting the claims, the 30-year-old also expressed his displeasure at Warner’s remarks. The Aussie was quick to retort that he is not here to please everyone with his batting, questioning the number of wickets he has given at gully. Moreover, the batter noted that some people need to come up with such analysis to keep the articles coming.
"I would like to see him check how many times I’ve been caught at gully, because apparently I get out there every week. I’ve looked back, and I can only remember being caught at gully twice. So I might have to have a look at Bull’s (Warner’s) comment there. But like I said, everyone’s here to write newspapers, write articles," Labuschagne said.
"It’s a two-edged sword. The week before, I wasn’t playing enough shots, and then this week, people are unhappy because I’m playing too many shots. At the end of the day, I’m not here to please everyone. I’m here to win games for Australia," he added.