"The biggest difference I've noticed...": Hussey's advice to Labuschagne amid horrid run

Former Australian batter Michael Hussey feels that under-fire batter Marnus Labuschagne could turn around his fortunes quickly if he plays his game with a positive intent to score runs instead of just focusing on occupying the crease with an aim to soak all pressure and deliveries. Labuschagne's horror run in Tests continued at Perth's Optus Stadium against India. In the first innings, Labuschagne had a block-a-thon as he could score just two runs in 52 balls. In the next innings, he made just three runs. Australia lost the Test by 295 runs, and Labuschagne's form came under scrutiny, having not made a century since July last year against England.

In 13 ICC World Test Championship (2023-25) matches, the batter has managed just 658 runs at an average of 27.41, with barely a century and five fifties to show in 26 innings. His best score is 111. This year in six Tests, Labuschagne has scored just 245 runs in six Tests at a subpar average of 24.50, with two half-centuries. Since his last Test century, he has scored just 352 runs in nine matches, averaging a poor 22.00, with four fifties to his name. His best score is 90.

Speaking to SEN, Hussey said that he went back to old highlights of Labuschagne, and the difference as compared to his current self is not that much. The only issue is the "tentative defensive frame of mind" of the batter trying to fulfil his role as a senior batter and not fully expressing himself.

"I actually went back and had a look at some of his highlights of some of his great innings from a few years back. It was just to see if I could see anything different than what we have been seeing in the last week or so," Hussey told SEN.

"From a technical perspective, there is actually not a lot of difference from when he was playing really well in scoring a lot of runs compared to the last Test match against India. The biggest difference I have noticed is just his intent to score. He is probably looking at it thinking, 'I am a senior player now, I have got to take responsibility, I have got to bat time, be there for the team, soak up the pressure, and all of that."

"That gets you into a tentative defensive frame of mind--of batting time, being there, and being patient. Whereas when I watched some of those highlights from a few years back, he was just confident and decisive in everything he did, even in defence and when he was letting the ball go he was getting into really strong positions," he concluded.

Hussey has pinned most of the batter's recent setbacks to his mindset and wants him to be more confident, decisive, and positive while batting. "I feel as though it is something that can be fixed really quickly just with a mindset shift. If he can just change that mindset of just looking to occupy the crease ...into, 'Whatever I do, I am going to do it confidently, decisively and be a little bit more positive with an intent to score.' I feel like he can turn it around really quickly," he concluded. The second pink-ball Test will take place at Adelaide Oval from December 6 onwards. (ANI)