"Indian bowling attack was very disciplined" - Marnus Labuschagne

Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne has praised the Indian bowling attack for not giving away too many loose balls to Australia, especially in the first session on Day 1 at the Gabba.

Despite playing an inexperienced bowling attack, Team India were disciplined in their line and lengths and did not let the hosts get off to a flying start. After dismissing both Australian openers early, the bowlers ensured that Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith had to earn every single run they scored.

The ideal start for India's inexperienced attack #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/8vTXl3erqK

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 15, 2021

In a post-match video-conference, Marnus Labuschagne explained how difficult it was for the hosts to score at a brisk pace against the Indian bowling attack:

“Indian bowling attacks are very disciplined, doesn’t matter who is bowling. They’re very planned and strategic and we saw that today with their bowling attack. They were pretty disciplined early and didn’t give us many scoring opportunities in that first session,” Marnus Labuschagne said.

Team India are practically playing with a second-string bowling attack, since the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravichandran Ashwin are all out with injuries. The most experienced bowler in the team is Mohammed Siraj, who has made just two Test appearances coming into the Gabba game.

"I haven't seen such a Gabba wicket that is up and down" - Marnus Labuschagne

Australia have won the toss and elected to bat first against India. #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/ep9WMopR3O

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 14, 2021

Having grown up playing for Queensland, Marnus Labuschagne knows the conditions at the Gabba inside out. However, he was surprised to see hat stroke-making wasn't easy on the wicket.

The 26-year-old reckons the reason behind that might be the dryness of the pitch. As the game progresses, the spinners could get some turn. Nathan Lyon, who is just four wickets away from reaching the milestone of 400 Test wickets, might be licking his lips looking at this pitch.

“I do feel like the wicket is considerably drier than it would be normally, so, those things could add value, especially, as we go into Day Two, Three, Four, Five – to the back end. I haven’t seen a Gabba wicket that is up and down, but it showed some signs today of a bit of dryness,” Marnus Labuschagne said.

The hosts, who ended Day 1 on 274/5, would like to believe they have their noses in front. But the beleaguered visitors cannot be counted out, something they have shown throughout the ongoing series.

Team India will hope to come out all guns blazing on Day 2 and restrict Australia to a manageable total. Knowing that they will bat last on a dry Gabba pitch, Team India will need to score well in their first innings.