Australia all-rounder Marnus Labuschagne has never shied away from bowling – be it in Tests or white-ball cricket. He has enough confidence in his bowling ability and can bowl handy leg-spin as well as some medium pace. So far, the 30-year-old has bowled in 44 innings, picking up 13 wickets at an average of 58.23.
Marnus Labuschagne ready to take on Virat Kohli in the Test Series
Marnus Labuschagne, a key figure in Australia’s batting lineup, expressed his eagerness about rolling his arm over in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against India. The Aussie star also revealed that he would love to bowl fast-medium and bouncers against Kohli in the high-octane Test series.
Notably, Kohli missed most of the Test series during Team India’s last Australia tour, leaving Labuschagne curious about the Indian superstar. His quirky inquiry about Kohli’s character became a talking point among players during the last Test series between India and Australia.
Now, when asked about his bowling speed, Labuschagne joked that he could hit up to 135 km/h, leaving interviewers in splits. Marnus also admitted that the Australians will hate that he is saying that he could hit 135 km/h, but he has that pace to stun one and all with the ball.
Marnus Labuschagne eager to bowl bouncers to Virat Kohli in Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25
Australia batter Marnus Labuschagne feels that people want to see more of his pace bowling, and hinted at unleashing some of his bouncers at Virat Kohli during the upcoming Border-Gavaskar series.
Marnus Labuschagne has always been confident of his bowling ability, acting as a reliable part-time leg-spin option across formats. With a memorable year so far with the ball, his stocks as a bowler has seen a massive rise.
He has bowled more than 100 overs in first-class cricket with 83 wickets to his name. In recent times, he has become more comfortable bowling in white-ball formats as well. He bowled extensively for Glamorgan in the Vitality T20 Blast a few months back and also picked up a five-wicket haul during the campaign.
Even in national colors, he bowled seven overs in the ODI series against England, recording figures of 3-39 in the first match.
“What are you going to get there? Are you going to get the number three of Australia rolling in bowling bouncers to Virat Kohli? I think people want to see that. You want to see, can you play on someone’s ego? Are you going to be ducking bouncers from Marnus?” Labuschagne said on The Grade Cricketer.
Marnus Labuschagne was recently seen bowling seam-up for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield encounter against Western Australia. Leading the side, he brought himself into the attack, and bowled a barrage of bouncers at Sam Whiteman and Alex Carey, while setting an unorthodox field in the process.
“I’d love to hit a little 135 kmph bouncer” – Marnus Labuschagne
Australia are looking for a potential fourth seamer to assist the seam trio following Cameron Green’s season-ending injury, and Marsh’s workload concerns. Labuschagne had castled Cameron Green in the 2021 Sheffield Shield with his medium pace, and is bound to be in Cummins’ ear during the upcoming series against India.
“I’m happy to throw in whenever. Whatever the team needs. I’d love to hit a little 135 kmph bouncer. I got that in me. My highest recorded is 132 kmph, so just three k more. The boys hate that. They’ll hate that I’ve said that I’ve got 135 in me,” Labuschagne added.
Marnus Labuschagne bowled a 16-over spell against India during the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar series in the fourth Test in Sydney. Since then, he has bowled on sporadic occasions home and away against the Men in Blue, but is yet to claim a wicket.
India’s much-anticipated Test series against Australia is set to kick off in November and will span approximately two and a half months. In addition to five Test matches, the Indian team will also participate in several tour games during this period. The upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 will be India’s final assignment in the World Test Championship 2025 cycle.
Notably, the Indian team is currently playing a three-match Test series against New Zealand at home. Virat Kohli played a brilliant knock of 70 runs in the first Test that the hosts lost by eight wickets in Bengaluru. India will next face New Zealand in Pune in the second Test, starting on October 24.