Marnus Labuschagne issues unsparing 'turn the tables' rallying call as Rohit Sharma's India eye Test series 'hat-trick'
Marnus Labuschagne spoke about the upcoming India's tour, which will feature five Tests.
India will tour Australia later this year for a blockbuster five-Test series, aiming to make a hat-trick of series victories Down Under. The Indian team, under the captaincy of Virat Kohli, became the first Asian side to register a Test series win on Australian soil back in 2020/21. Roughly two years later, a highly depleted Indian team – owing to player absences and injuries – defied the odds to trump the Aussies 2-1.
This year, Rohit Sharma will lead the Indian side as it aims to achieve a third series win on the trot. However, a host of former Australian cricketers, including their legendary former skipper Ricky Ponting, have stated that it would be difficult for India to repeat their heroics this time around. India will most likely be without their two Test stalwarts who played a key role in their last two series wins in Australia – Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara – with both losing their places in the team owing to a loss of form.
While Rohit and Virat Kohli, alongside KL Rahul, continue to remain an important part of the Test setup, the tour will see a host of youngsters who will potentially be playing a red-ball series in Australia for the first time. Granted, Rishabh Pant – one of India's stars from the previous Border-Gavaskar trophy win Down Under – has returned to cricketing action but has yet to play a red-ball game. The upcoming home Test season will be crucial for Pant, as well as other India stars, to acclimatize with the format, with their last Test action being in March earlier this year.
As both sides look forward to the series, which begins in November, Australia's star batter, Marnus Labuschagne, has also weighed in on the upcoming series. While he didn't outright declare the favourites, Labuschagne insisted that the Australian side is keen on turning the tables.
“The energy when these two teams play together is always high. There is always high anticipation. It doesn't matter where we play; India, Australia, or England, it's always a tough contest. India's fast bowling quartet is very good, which is what really brings them in Australian conditions and makes them such a tough team to beat. Hopefully, this summer, we can turn the tables back on India and put them in real pressure,” Labuschagne told Star Sports.
Australia facing Scotland
The Australian team is currently on the tour of the United Kingdom; the side is facing Scotland in a three-match T20I series, following which it will move to England for three T20Is and five ODIs.
Interestingly, the side isn't scheduled to play a Test before the Border-Gavaskar trophy. India, meanwhile, will play five Tests before the series against the Aussies – two against Bangladesh, and three against New Zealand.
