The former left-arm pace bowler of Australia, Mitchell Johnson, has given his view on the playing eleven of the home side for the second day-night fixture at the Adelaide Oval in the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. India enjoyed a great first week at the Optus Stadium in Perth with a 295-run victory despite the absence of their regular captain, Rohit Sharma.
The spotlight has been on the top-order veteran batter, Marnus Labuschagne, who managed the scores of just two and three in the series opener and has averaged 23.57 in the red-ball format since the start of last summer. Mitchell Johnson reckons that it’s high time to see the batter outside the eleven.
Labuschagne has collected 4119 Test runs in 92 innings at an average of over 48 with the help of 11 centuries and 20 half-centuries at the best score of 215 runs. The veteran didn’t enjoy the preparation in the lead-up to the Perth Test, as he notched up 32 runs in the first-class game against Queensland in Brisbane.
“Labuschagne, after a lengthy poor run with the bat, should be replaced for the second Test in Adelaide. I honestly believe the best thing for Labuschagne at this stage would be to be left out. It would give him a chance to play some Sheffield Shield and club cricket away from the pressure of playing for your country.” Mitchell Johnson penned down in his column in the Nightly that he asked the team management to drop the batter.
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“I feel he would benefit from that more than going out there trying to survive against Jasprit Bumrah.” The former Western Australian pacer expressed.
Mitchell Johnson urges the Australian management to drop Marnus Labuschagne
The Queensland-born pacer felt that even though most of the fans would say that it’s just the first Test of the summer, the South Africa-born hasn’t gone past the ten-run mark in nine times out of the ten Test innings.
“Some will say, hold up a minute, it’s just the first Test of a long summer. But this has been going on for a while. In his past 10 Test innings, he’s passed ten just once. Cricketers get dropped at some point in their careers, and it’s about how you bounce back from that.” Mitchell Johnson added.
The 30-year-old batter has smashed 245 runs in 12 innings at an average of 24.50 with a strike rate of 47.66 with the help of three half-centuries at the best score of 90. The average of up into the 40s last year when he collected over 800 runs in 25 innings in the red-ball format, thanks to four half-centuries and one century.
The one score of over 90, as Mitchell Johnson mentioned, came during the New Zealand trip. The pressure has been highly on the batter, and he struggled badly in the last contest. Jasprit Bumrah had his number, getting the outside edge on the first ball into the hands of the slip fielder, which was dropped by Virat Kohli, while he was bambooed by an inswinger in the second innings.
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The former wicket-keeper batter of the side, Ian Healy, has called the team management to hand the debut cap to the all-rounder Beau Webster in Adelaide. The latter came into the squad as the cover for the all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, who has fitness concerns.
If Marnus Labuschagne gets dropped as Mitchell Johnson has asked for, the question stands on who has the ability to replace the batter next week in Adelaide.