Steve Smith Struggles Ahead of Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Senior Australia batter Steve Smith has continued to experience poor fortunes in the Sheffield Shield leading up to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In his recent outings against Victoria, Smith scored just 3 runs and was dismissed for a duck in his two innings. This performance has added to a troubling trend, as he has been struggling to find form in the domestic arena, averaging a mere 9 runs over his last six innings.
Smith batted at No. 3 against Victoria, coming in after Sam Konstas and Nic Maddison. His single-digit scores, including 0, 3, 9, 11, and 31, have raised concerns about his readiness for the crucial Test series against India. In his latest innings, Smith was caught LBW by Scott Boland after shouldering arms to a delivery that many deemed a harsh call, although his decision to leave the ball on that line raised eyebrows.
The struggling form of Smith is juxtaposed with that of his teammate Marnus Labuschagne, who appears to be adapting to a new role as a medium-pace bowler. Labuschagne, the current No. 3 Test batter for Australia, has taken a liking to bowling and has expressed interest in rolling his arm over during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
In a light-hearted moment, Labuschagne joked about wanting to bowl a bouncer to Indian star Virat Kohli in the upcoming series. The prospect of him bowling adds an intriguing twist to Australia’s bowling options, especially considering his usual role as a batsman. Labuschagne, expected to play a pivotal role in the Australian batting lineup, seems enthusiastic about contributing with the ball as well.
Speaking in an interview with Channel 7, Marnus stated he would be keen to bowl fast-medium against Kohli, who missed most of the previous Australia tour. He confidently mentioned that he could crank up his pace to around 135 km/h, leaving interviewers in disbelief at the bold claim.
“I think so. Yeah, I think so. Because they sink energy. You know, what are we going to get here? Will you convince Australia’s number three to come in and bowl bouncers to Virat Kohli? People want to see that,” Labuschagne remarked. His enthusiasm for the potential matchup adds excitement ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
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India is set to travel to Australia in November for a rigorous two-and-a-half-month-long Test series, featuring five Test matches and multiple tour games. This series will be India’s final assignment in the World Test Championship 2025 cycle, making the stakes particularly high for both teams as they prepare for the competition.
