After making in a mark in Test cricket, Marnus Labuschagne now aims to master the other formats.
After making in a mark in Test cricket, Marnus Labuschagne now aims to master the other formats.
From being Test cricket's first concussion substitute to help to ride Australia towards victories, Labuschagne went on to finish the year 2019 as the highest run-scorer in the longest format.
The right-handed batsman smashed 896 runs in five Tests against Pakistan and New Zealand over the home summer finishing with an average of 112.
Marnus Labuschagne's run tally was the best for an Australian with his double century, two 150s, one century and three half-centuries in eight innings.
In a five-Test summer Down Under - he even bettered Neil Harvey and Donald Bradman among others - and is only nine runs short of Englishman Wally Hammond's 91-year-old record.
Now Labuschagne aspires to become like Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, Joe Root and his team-mate Steven Smith. He will embark on a first ODI tour for Australia to face India from 17 January.
"You look at the guys I look up to and aspire to - Steve Smith, Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, Joe Root. They've been doing it for a very long time, five, six years they've been consistent, not just in one format, but two or more formats," Marnus Labuschagne told ESPNcricinfo.
"So for me personally there's a lot to learn and a lot to grow because I've had some success this summer but the real challenge for me is to be more consistent going on and being able to keep putting continued performances on the board.
"If I can continue to do that, then that's obviously going to be the challenge for me, and getting an opportunity in this one-day series is an opportunity for me to show a slightly different part of my game that we haven't seen this summer, but that's a really exciting challenge too."
Labuschagne also said he realises the challenge of playing on Indian soil.
"A big part of playing in India is how you play spin, so for me being nice and clear with my plans about how I play spin and then just trusting the processes I have. Batting in the middle order it's about running really hard between wickets and trying to get those runs through the middle, then when you get the opportunity towards the back end to open the shoulders a bit," Labuschagne said.
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