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Labuschagne looking to take a leaf out of Root's book to succeed in Sri Lanka
Follow UsThe 27-year-old made his Test debut in the UAE in 2018 but has only played five Tests in Asia, with three of those coming in Pakistan earlier this year
Marnus Labuschagne is looking to take a leaf out of Joe Root's book in order to succeed in Sri Lanka. Australia are scheduled to play three T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests in Sri Lanka and Labuschagne is set to feature in the last two formats.
The 27-year-old made his Test debut in the UAE in 2018 but has only played five Tests in Asia, with three of those coming in Pakistan earlier this year. The right-hander scored 90 in the first Test of the three-match series but could only manage 80 runs in the next four innings, including two ducks.
Meanwhile, former England captain Joe Root has an impeccable record in Asia, averaging over 50 in India (50.11), UAE (57.4) and Sri Lanka (65.5). In Sri Lanka, Root has amassed 655 runs in five Tests. The last time England toured Sri Lanka, Root slammed scores of 228 and 186 and led his team to a series win.
"For me, it's my first real subcontinent challenge against spin, it's about conquering that challenge. Joe Root played phenomenally over there, I've learned a lot from how he went about his game there,” Labuschagne told BBC Sport Wales.
"As a team, we want to be the best in the world, it doesn't matter where you take us, we want to be winning games and I certainly think we can do that in Sri Lanka. I'll have to get used to conditions, the heat and sweating it out, which is something we haven't had the last few games (in the UK)."
Labuschagne is yet to cement his place in the T20I set-up but has been a regular feature in the other two formats. Australia are scheduled to play 11 Tests in the next 10 months and there will also be a decent amount of ODI cricket. Him and his wife Rebekah are also expecting their first child later this year and Labuschagne knows that he will have to manage his workload properly.
"That's our blueprint but we've got so much cricket this year, around 16 Tests and 18 one-day games, so we're going to have to make sure I'm fit and healthy, and also get to spend time at home with my wife and child at some stage."