Australia star wants the team to field 'Cheteshwar Pujara' in the test series against India

Ahead of the first Test against India in Perth, Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne said his team would like to play a “long game” while batting to tire out the bowlers and create pressure, which veteran Indian Cheteshwar Pujara had done in the past. Two tours. With both the teams ranked first and second in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) table looking to secure their title clash chances, their pace bowling attack will be crucial on bouncy, fast surfaces. Team India is fielding a relatively inexperienced line-up of key fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, who will be supported by new stars like Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Labuschagne, who is the leading run-scorer in the 2020-21 BGT series in Australia with 426 runs in four matches, a century and two fifties at an average of 53.25, wants the Australian batting to take advantage of this inexperience and just bat, bat and bat. Create your opponents. Throw long spells and exhaust yourself.

“This (series) is going to be important for all of us. I think the way we play, we play our best when we are playing the long game. We understand that they have to face their second and “Letting them come under pressure and letting them come to us and through overs in the field and time in the game we put the pressure back on them,” Labuschagne said as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo. To make that happen, especially in a five-Test series, is really important.”

“Because as soon as you get into the third, fourth, fifth Test, if they're trying to play the same team, and those bowlers are getting 100, 150, 200 overs by the third Test, that's a big difference. is going to generate series,” he said.

To put things in perspective, Pujara played 1,258 balls on the 2018-19 Australia tour and 928 balls during the 2020-21 series, scoring 521 runs and 271 runs respectively. In both series. Only Labuschagne (850 balls) and Steve Smith (684 balls) could touch the 600-plus ball mark, their efforts resulting in a defeat in the 2020-21 series.

Pujara's stubbornness, determination and solid defense in attacking provided a wall-like protection to other batsmen who would attack bowlers who would tire of bowling.

During the Sheffield Shield season and practice sessions for Queensland, Marnus has bowled considerable medium pace, presenting himself as a solid addition to the Australian bowling attack that features captain Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Could help reduce Hazelwood's workload. With 13 Test wickets and 84 first-class wickets, he can undoubtedly be a good option for the Australian team.

Even Labuschagne said that he likes bowling, especially bowling. He expressed confidence in his body's strength to bowl a sufficient number of overs every day.

“I bowled a bouncer and I think Mitchell Starc said, 'We've got short memories'. And I said, 'Well, I'm going to get them anyway, so I might as well finish them off. There's nothing more enjoyable than bowling a bouncer.”

“There was a bit of anxiety. When I bowled I was thinking about the pace of 28 overs in a Shield game, and my workload before that was zero, so some people would say it's a big spike. But my body is quite durable. “

He concluded, “It's something I've done from a young age. I've always bowled fast.”

After the series opener in Perth on November 22, the second Test, featuring a day-night format, will take place under floodlights at the Adelaide Oval from December 6 to 10.

Fans will then turn their attention to the Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test from 14 to 18 December.

The traditional Boxing Day Test, to be held from December 26 to 30 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, will mark the final leg of the series.

The fifth and final Test will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, which promises to be an exciting climax to a highly anticipated series.

India's team for Border-Gavaskar series: Rohit Sharma (captain), Jasprit Bumrah (vice-captain), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli, Prasidh Krishna, Rishabh Pant ( Wicketkeeper), KL Rahul, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar.

Australia team for the first test: Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc.