In-form Australia batsman Marnus Labuschagne says he considers the upcoming ODI series against India a big opportunity in his quest to emulate Virat Kohli and Steve Smith across all formats.
Labuschagne has been called up to his first ODI squad following his outstanding form in Test cricket and an impressive Marsh Cup where he was the joint Player of the Tournament alongside Queensland team-mate Usman Khawaja, who has been left out.
'You look at the guys I look up to and aspire to - Steve Smith, Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, Joe Root. They've been doing it for a very long time, five, six years they've been consistent, not just in one format, but two or more formats," Labuschagne was quoted as saying by ESPN Cricinfo.
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Consistency
Having established himself as a vital cog in Australia's Test team, Labuschagne revealed that long-term consistency and a role across formats are his major goals for the future.
"I've had some success this summer but the real challenge for me is to be more consistent going on and being able to keep putting continued performances on the board.
"If I can continue to do that, then that's obviously going to be the challenge for me," he said.
"A big part of playing in India is how you play spin, so for me being nice and clear with my plans about how I play spin and then just trusting the processes I have.
"Batting in the middle order it's about running really hard between wickets and trying to get those runs through the middle, then when you get the opportunity towards the back end to open the shoulders a bit," he said.
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Mr. Cricket
Labuschagne admitted he would look to emulate the standard of adaptability set by Michael Hussey for Australia. "With the opportunities that might come in the next few months, we'll have to see, but definitely Michael Hussey is a great person to learn from," Labuschagne said.
"The way he played the one-day game, the way he finished off the innings and the way he probably started his innings. There are a few similarities there, but I'm definitely not comparing myself to Michael Hussey."
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