Why is Australian love for Marnus Labuschagne conditional and complicated? | Cricket news

Just before this Indian series, he had scored a 90 in Christchurch, New Zealand. Yet he faced the strongest criticism and heat from fans, media and former Australian players after the Perth Test. There were calls for him to be dropped.

Bharat Sundaresan, a cricket journalist, radio and TV broadcaster who has lived in Australia for the past six years, puts things about his friend Marn in perspective. Usman Khawaja has spoken about how the Australian system treated him as an outsider in the early years. It's a bit the same as Marn. He's so different from the rest, not just because of his quirkiness but also because of his background, that he's certainly confused Australian fans over the years. Look, the demographics of cricket fans in Australia are aging – from 35 to 70, he explains.

Who did they grow up with? The Chappellis, Border, Lehmanns, the Waughs and the rest. Who controls the narrative even today? The former cricketers who are all in the media. They all talk about this Australian hard way of playing. Doesn't matter, that's such a fluid concept that it's evolved. The country is changing and cricket fans may still be stuck in the past, he says.

He cites the example of Adam Zampa. He is another one who is coping with the heat; When the team's anthem is on, the camera zooms in on Zampa and the fans wonder: is he singing it? Why are his eyes closed and so much nonsense? That has never been a problem with Marnus, as he sings it the loudest!

The issue escalates when Australia loses. It's only when Australia loses that he gets accused of the fuss after he gets off or some of the things he says from short legs, which are usually cute and stupid and not nasty. He is arrested for allegedly irritating his own teammates rather than the opposition. On the radio we have a text line in which listeners send comments, and Marnus invariably gets the strongest reactions when he is not performing, he says.

Perfect group

In a way, Marnus is lucky to be playing in this era. With the likes of Steve Smith, almost as quirky if not more so, and Pat Cummins as captain and Andrew McDonald as coach, who replaced Justin Langer, reportedly on players. In recent times, even during this series, Cummins, who has himself been criticized and labeled Captain Woke, has spoken about letting the players be themselves and express themselves however they want. It is difficult to see Marnus not only fit, but also flourishing in an earlier era. Even after Perth, Marnus would have known all he had to do was ignore the outside noise and get to work. He doesn't have to worry about what his teammates think of him. Although a few more failures might have put pressure on the selectors to make a move.

As said and done, Marnus did not score any points. He may have had more than Smith and a few others, but he was in the middle of a dry spell. It seemed as if he had put away all his shots and focused solely on survival. As he would do in the first innings in Perth with a 52-ball 2.

There was undoubtedly a problem, says his long-standing personal hitting coach Neil DCosta. He started sweating how to hit, instead of playing them instinctively as he used to do in his prime. He would be instinctive and that instinct was driven by how can I score here, what is my scoring opportunity here. That started to fade a bit, says Neil.

Marnus loves hitting, its biomechanics and how technique works. But he perhaps went a bit far and ended up focusing too much on his side of the pitch. After Perth we had to do some reworking. In the second innings, Marnus shouldered his arms to a nip-backer from Jasprit Bumrah, got stuck lbw and caused a collapse. Neil understood why he left it behind, although he would question him later. That ball had a length of 8.3 meters and this is Australia. The ball would bounce over the stumps. That's why he left it alone. But he still should have played it, because the pitch showed wear and tear – and it wouldn't always go away. That was a mistake that came from playing for survival instead of being positive.

After Perth they would both chat. Neil sent him some batting videos from the past. By the way, they were a few shots from his previous knocks against India! Those were the videos where he starred the way I like it, just saying this is you boy! I am very proud of the way he handled everything fairly. But Pat Cummins certainly led the way. The boys know the expected standard because they are the standard.

Neil wasn't too concerned about how Marnus would deal with the pressure of criticism from former players and fans barking at his head. I know what you mean: when he could have been a little bitter, he wasn't. I probably was! says Neil. But the reason I wasn't too worried about that aspect is because we've done a great job in this area! Part of my team is Alan Mantle, who has had mental skills training, and Marnus has been working a lot on him to get his headspace in order. It's safe to say he didn't perform and he knew he had to correct that; don't worry about what others said.

Always the same

However, did you notice one thing in Perth or even in the first innings in Adelaide before he scored that fifty? All other roles he needed to play as a team player he played well: team support, fielding, bowling. He didn't change, he still smiled and greeted fans etc, very proud of his character. It's great to be a great player, but being a great person is the real goal, and so is Marn. He may be annoying, but he's a great person! He is also fortunate that this team under Cummins, the support staff and coaches are all great. They encourage him to be himself. Nobody panicked. All the young fans in the stadium cheered for him.

In Adelaide, Marnus played more positively on the second morning, after weathering the first storm the evening before. It's not like he's overcome all his problems. In the beginning there is still a tendency to sit back and trust that his hands will get him out of trouble. His hands move in all kinds of angles to prevent the ball from hitting the pad. He has such a good eye that he can bring his bat on time. It's his method, and he's only 30 and the hand-eye reflexes are still good.

Perhaps the Indians, including Bumrah and Siraj, bowled a little too short and a little outside off stump, not giving him enough play that first night in Adelaide. No doubt they would correct course in Brisbane and tackle him harder early on. It is that phase where he can still be vulnerable. But then that's his method and if he can take any confidence from the Adelaide fifty, the battle between him and the Indians should be compelling. It doesn't matter what the older Australian fans think of him.

There's a funny little scene from the Australian dressing room in the Test documentary. It's an April Fool's joke, played by former coach Justin Langer, and Marnus doesn't realize it at the moment. In an in-camera game, Marnus chooses Jacques Kallis as his favorite batsman. In the next shot, Langer walks across the street, takes Marnus aside and says, 'You have to be very careful. When you're wearing the Australian stuff and talking about Kallis and AB de Villiers and all that stuff. Boys won't be so excited about it…

Marnus freezes like a schoolboy, his hands behind his back, and says: That was not my intention. So what should I do when they ask me that question? And Langer says: Suppose Steve Smith is your hero, and not Jacques Kallis. You just have to be careful. This goes global. Marnus shuffles uncomfortably before Langer says: Marn, happy April 1, son! He visibly relaxes, laughs and says: I was wondering what's going on?!

That scene is still played out in real life when he's not performing. But at the age of 30, for a boy who knew he wanted to be a cricketer at the age of three, a boy who watched cricket on television in full cricket gear with helmet and pads on, a man who absolutely loves this game, Marnus, say his mentors and friends, is not concerned about the outside noise.