Marnus Labuschagne Gives 2-Worded Response To Rajasthan Royals' "Chess Battle" Tweet With R Ashwin
The Marnus Labuschagne vs Ravichandran Ashwin battle is one of the most intriguing ones in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
- NDTV Sports Desk
- Updated: February 08, 2023 08:40 am IST
India are all set to take on Australia in a four-match Test series, starting on Thursday at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. While there are plenty of interesting match-ups, the battle between Ravichandran Ashwin and Marnus Labuschagne could decide the outcome of the series. Ashwin was one of the top performers during India's twin Test series triumphs in Australia, and is expected to give a tough time to the Australian batters.
Labuschagne had earlier said that facing Ashwin is like a "lovely game of chess".
While responding to Rajasthan Royals' tweet of his statement on Ashwin, Labuschagne said that he "can't wait" to face the India veteran.
Can't wait
— Marnus Labuschagne (@marnus3cricket) February 7, 2023
Labuschagne was dismissed twice by Ashwin even though he emerged as the leading run-scorer in the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia with 426 runs at an average of 53.25.
Last month, Labuschagne had praised Ashwin, saying that he has tried to adapt his game after facing the veteran off-spinner.
"I've changed some of my game because of what I've heard about Ashwin and how he bowled to me," Labuschagne was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
"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." The 28-year-old said he started his preparation for the India tour right after the 2020-21 home series.
Australia have taken to extreme measures in order to prepare for the threat that R Ashwin possesses. The tourists were spotted practicing against Ashwin's "duplicate" in the nets, drawing a plethora of reactions from fans.