[Watch] "Ouch" - Marnus Labuschagne loses grip of his bat after being hit by a bouncy delivery from Mohammed Siraj

Marnus Labuschagne lost the grip of his bat while facing a delivery from Mohammed Siraj in the eighth over of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship final between India and Australia on Wednesday, June 7.

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma called the coin toss right at the Kennington Oval and opted to bowl first in the big game against Australia. The decision worked in India's favor as Mohammed Siraj got rid of an in-form Usman Khawaja in the fourth over itself.

Khawaja's dismissal invited Marnus Labuschagne to the middle. Labuschagne got off the mark on the first ball that he faced, but has since struggled to tackle the Indian pacers on a green surface at the Kennington Oval.

During the eighth over of the Australian innings, a length delivery from Mohammed Siraj received some extra bounce and hit Labuschagne straight on his hand. He lost his balance and dropped his bat on the ground after being hit by that delivery.

You can watch the video here:

Although Labuschagne looked in some pain at that moment, he has continued to bat in the middle. He is batting on 12 runs off 30 balls at the moment.

Can Marnus Labuschagne survive the 1st session of the WTC final 2023?

The pitch for the World Test Championship final 2023 looks excellent for fast bowling. Even the conditions are overcast, which is why the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami have managed to keep the Australian batters on the backfoot thus far in the match.

The pitch will likely get better for batting as the match progresses. Hence, it is important for the Australian top-order batters to retain their wickets and build partnerships in the middle.

It will be interesting to see if Marnus Labuschagne can make it to the second session. You can follow the live scorecard of this match right here.