IND vs AUS: Marnus Labuschagne unbothered by Mohammed Siraj’s threat: "I enjoy battles with him"

The 30-year-old Australia National Cricket Team batsman Marnus Labuschagne has stated that he has enjoyed his battles with the star India National Cricket Team pacer Mohammed Siraj over the years.

Labuschagne and Siraj will be seen battling it out on the field very soon when Team India travel to Australia for the high-voltage Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.

India and Australia will go head-to-head in a five-match Test series instead of a four-match series this time around. The first Test will be played in Perth from November 22, and the second pink-ball Test will be played in Adelaide from December 6. After that, the rest of the matches will be held in Brisbane (December 14-18), Melbourne (December 26-30), and Sydney (January 3-7).

India have had an upper hand over the Aussies for a decade and they have not lost the Test series against the ICC World Test Champions, since 2014-15 when they lost by 0-2. Since then, India have won four consecutive series in 2016-17 at home, 2018-19 in Australia, 2020-21 in Australia, and 2022-23 in India, with all series victories coming by the margin of 2-1.

I enjoy battles with Mohammed Siraj for many reasons - Marnus Labuschagne

For Australia to change their fortunes against India in the upcoming series it will be important for Marnus Labuschagne to step up and deliver consistent performances.

The 30-year-old has not looked at his best in recent times in Test cricket, but his experience of 50 matches in the longest format of the game will come in handy for Australia. Overall, he has scored 4114 Test runs at an average of 49.56, with 11 tons and 20 fifties.

Just like Labuschagne for Australia, Mohammed Siraj will be a key to the success for his team as well. Siraj is part of the deadly pace-bowling trio, which includes him, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Shami. He will have to be at his best, just like he was in his debut Test series against Australia in the 2020-21 season.

Meanwhile, in a video shared by Star Sports, Marnus Labuschagne shrugged off any concerns about facing Mohammed Siraj. He said that he enjoys battles against the 30-year-old India pacer and recalled their first meeting at the MRF Academy in 2015-16. Marnus Labuschagne elaborated:

"I enjoy battles with Mohammed Siraj for many reasons. We actually were at the academy in 2015-16, and he was working with the MRF Academy, and we played against each other. So that's when I first met him and to see his career go in that direction.

"He's got great passion, great energy and great love for the game. It's been nice to see our careers moving together from such different experiences."

#MarnusLabuschagne talks about the threat of #MohammedSiraj in the #BorderGavaskarTrophy 🏆

We're ready to witness the #ToughestRivalry: #AUSvINDonStar, starting FRI 22 NOV onwards! 🏆

Comment with a 🇮🇳 if you can't wait to watch Rohit & team lift the trophy for the 5th time! pic.twitter.com/qlDy8qzcBQ

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) September 16, 2024

Marnus Labuschagne and Mohammed Siraj have so far come against each other in Tests and ODIs. In 50-over cricket, Siraj has bowled 32 balls to the Aussie batter, who has scored 34 runs without being dismissed.

Meanwhile, in Test cricket, Siraj has delivered 240 deliveries to Labuschagne, who has scored 122 runs. However, he has also got out twice to the star speedster.