Marnus Labuschagne frees himself from India shackles to make SCG statement of intent

India put a target on Marnus Labuschagne’s back going into the summer. Knowing a thing or two about that, Steve Smith gave the youngster some words of advice.

Marnus Labuschagne has finally broken free of India’s shackles this series.

The massive numbers haven’t been there for Marnus Labuschagne this season, but nor has the dreaded second season syndrome.

After last year’s breakthrough summer, where Labuschagne overshadowed the home returns of Steve Smith and David Warner with a brilliant series much was expected in the huge showdown with India.

Against New Zealand, he had a series-high 549 runs – trumping Warner’s 297 and Smith’s 214 – and assumed the mantle of Australian cricket’s new golden boy.

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But every great band will tell you that the hardest thing about writing a debut masterpiece is trying to back it up, as Labuschagne found to start the summer with no half-centuries in his first four innings.

Marnus Labuschagne has finally broken free of India’s shackles this series.

Smith knows what that’s like, having been the hunted as the world’s best Test batsman of the 2010s, and gave Labuschagne a mid-series warning ahead of the Boxing Day Test.

“It’s being able to adapt on the fly and understand how the bowlers are trying to get you out or contain you, and coming up with a plan to counter that,” Smith said in the lead up to the second Test.

“Marnus had such an amazing year last year and people have seen a bit more of him and how he plays.

“I think it’s going to be for him to understand on the fly what’s going on, how they’re trying to go about it.”

Just 12 months ago Labuschagne capped his golden summer with 215 at the SCG against New Zealand, but a lot has changed in that time. In the world, sure, but in Labuschagne’s world also.

India had months and months to analyse the 26-year-old’s game. Every quirk. Every tick. Every mannerism. And every flaw.

Labuschagne has managed to improve his approach mid-series, the mark of a class player.

Labuschagne was pinned down in Adelaide, and rode his luck to be Australia’s top scorer with 47. But he was dropped on three occasions that day, and backed it up with a second-innings 6.

It was a similar story at the MCG, where the quirky Queenslander put up 48 runs – again a team-high – without ever looking on top of his game.

And yet he arrived in Sydney as Australia’s leading runscorer, someone who was well and truly up for the fight – and with an ability to “adapt on the fly”.

Fox Cricket’s Mike Hussey noticed some subtle changes Labuschagne had made, such as batting slightly further out of his crease, and the rewards came in the form of 91 runs: Labuschagne’s highest score of the summer.

He was back to his chirpy, eccentric self in the field. And a return to the relaxed, runscoring machine – punching drives through the covers, pulling with confidence – that had grown on Australian fans.

“It’s not easy when you know the opposition have got a set plan for you, to make the adjustments to try and get around those plans,” said Hussey.

True to form, Labuschagne – who as a kid would sulk following any dismissal such was his hatred of getting out – was not a happy man after being removed by Ravindra Jadeja.

“It was nice to get some runs (but) obviously disappointing not to finish that off and get a big score and get us into a 400-plus run (total),” he told Channel 7.

Originally published as Marnus Labuschagne frees himself from India shackles to make SCG statement of intent