World No.1 Test batter Marnus Labuschagne is gearing up for his epic battle with veteran spinner Ravichandra Ashwin as heavyweights India and Australia are all set 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 around the corner, 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. Taking cognisance of the tweet, premier batter Labuschagne shared a two-worded response 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.
Ashwin got the better of Labuschagne twice 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.
“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,” Labuschagne told cricket.com.au in the lead-up to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Labuschagne, who will turn 29 in June, has played 33 Test matches for Australia. The premier batter has accumulated 3150 runs with an average of 59.43 in red-ball cricket. Labuschagne has notched up 10 centuries and 14 half-centuries in the longest and oldest format of the game. 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.
