Australia vs. India, Second Test: One final chance for Australia’s No. 3 with Inglis waiting in the wings, Marsh under injury cloud

The door has been left ajar for a change to the Australian batting order ahead of the second Test against India in Adelaide, but the man under most pressure appears to have been spared.

The Adelaide Test shapes as a last chance saloon for Marnus Labuschagne who is likely to be given one final chance to turn around his flagging Test form.

Labuschagne has kept his spot in an unchanged 13-man squad for the second Test although all-rounders Beau Webster and Aaron Hardie in the frame to be added to the party as cover for a sore Mitch Marsh who is no guarantee to be able to bowl in the pink-ball clash.

Australian coach Andrew McDonald has left the door ajar for spare batter Josh Inglis to replace one of the incumbent top six for the second Test – beginning on December 6 – however it’s understood Labuschagne is likely to be spared the axe as he returns to a venue where he has three Test tons.

Marnus Labuschagne (R) will likely be given one final to turn around his form in Adelaide. Picture: Saeed Khan/AFP

Backup paceman Scott Boland – who has been included in the Prime Minister’s XI side to face the Indians in Canberra over the weekend – will also travel to Adelaide and is believed to be in strong contention to play the third Test in Brisbane given the short backup between the second and third matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.

Labuschagne is now skating on thin ice after a gradual decline dating back to early 2023.

He is averaging just 13.66 across his last five Tests – notwithstanding a fighting 90 in Christchurch in March – and made scores of two and three in Australia’s 295-run loss to India in Perth.

Confirming the squad for Adelaide, McDonald said he remained optimistic the Queensland captain could emerge from his slump.

“We look at the way he plays, and when he’s at his best,” McDonald said.

“And when we’ve seen him at his best he’s shown great intent at the crease.

“That’s an ongoing discussion and that ebbs and flows in players’ careers, so at the moment he’s in one of those patches and no doubt he’ll be getting critiqued externally.

“But internally we’re really confident that, at his best, he’s the player that we need.”

Marnus Labuschagne dismissal rate v pace since December 2022. Picture: Supplied

Labuschagne had spoken pre-series of his desire to play a stonewalling role akin to former Indian gun Cheteshwar Pujara but staggered to two from 52 balls in the first innings before departing for three after shouldering arms to Jasprit Bumrah in the second innings.

McDonald said remedying Labuschagne’s game would require dual focuses.

“It’s always a combination of factors with the mindset,” McDonald said.

“There’s some technical aspects to that also within the mindset play.

“We’re really confident he can turn that around.”

Pressed as to whether Inglis could replace one of the specialist batters for the Adelaide Test, McDonald did not shoot down the idea.

“We’ll assess that as we go along, but as I said the squad that’s in there, they’ll be in Adelaide,” McDonald said.

Asked to shoulder a heavier load with the ball given Cameron Green’s absence, Marsh sent down 17 overs for the match with McDonald saying that the all-rounder’s fitness was a “wait and see” proposition. Skipper Pat Cummins had already revealed that Marsh had been sore in the latter stages of the Test.

Mitchell Marsh’s ability to bowl is under a cloud ahead of the Adelaide Test. Picture: Saeed Khan/AFP

But McDonald said he had been broadly happy with the way Marsh and his support band of part-timers had bowled.

“No we didn’t feel that (was a weakness),” McDonald said.

“We knew that Mitch was slightly underdone coming in but I thought the performance in the first innings was satisfactory.”

McDonald ruled out the prospect of any members of the Test XI being late additions to the PM’s XI match or playing club cricket over the weekend before the team convenes in Adelaide early next week.

“With this game finishing a day early we’ll go to Adelaide a day earlier, get into our prep there,” McDonald said.

“Obviously shifting into pink ball which will create different challenges in the way we go about it, so we’ll invest in that extra day.”

Originally published as Australia vs. India, Second Test: One final chance for Australia’s No. 3 with Inglis waiting in the wings, Marsh under injury cloud