'I want to be that player': Labuschagne

Queensland batsman Marnus Labuschagne sees no reason why his maiden tour in Australia A colours can't propel him to the dizzying highs of Test cricket … provided, of course, he makes an irresistible case for selection.

Labuschagne is part of the first wave of Australians touring India in the coming weeks; he will head over next Monday with the Australia A one-day squad, coached by Graeme Hick and captained by Travis Head, with the four-day squad to follow for two games in the first half of September.

And while the 24-year-old's action will be strictly limited to the 50-over format, he knows a strong run of form would give his prospects for higher honours a timely boost.

With Test batting trio Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft all suspended, and question marks over other places in the top six, head coach Justin Langer has made no secret of the fact that standout performances on the 'A' tour in the build-up would be warmly received by selectors.

Langer was likely referring primarily to the first-class matches, however Labuschagne is unfazed by formats.

"I've got chills right now even thinking about it," the right-hander told cricket.com.au in reference to potential Test selection.

"We're so close at the moment. It's really going to come down to the batters who step up in India and really knock the door down, then come in to JLT Cup with some form, and if you can continue to roll on with some form in the JLT, then it's going to put you in a really good spot.

"I want to be that player; I want to be the person that they're looking for. So my job is to make sure I do that talking with the bat, ball and in the field."

Labuschagne underlined his one-day capabilities two summers ago when he was named player of the tournament in the domestic 50-over competition as Queensland finished runners up, while last year he was the Sheffield Shield's second-leading run-scorer, with 795 runs at 39.75, with two hundreds.

The right-hander toured India with the National Performance Squad (NPS) last year and feels better prepared for the country this time around, and looks set to benefit from a week of preparation in Brisbane with the Australia A squad under Hick.

"(Hick) talked a lot about playing spin and the different ways we're going to approach that," he said. "What we're going to be doing in training to be ready for it – getting deep in the crease, or coming at the ball, really working on our sweeping, regardless of what level your sweeping is at, just getting some work in before India so it's something we can fall back on.

"We talked a lot about the middle overs, and how we want to bat in that period and how we want to control that.

"I feel comfortable playing spin but it's obviously a different kettle of fish when you're going to India. It's definitely about learning, and continuing to learn new ways.

"You can learn a lot from the way they go about their batting over there. There was an older guy we played against last year (while touring with the NPS), he wasn't a first-class player but I watched the way he played and he looked so effortless with the way he swept and went with the ball – that's stuck in my mind from then."

Australia A Tour of India

Australia A one-day squad: Travis Head (c), Alex Carey (vc), Ashton Agar, Peter Handscomb, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Joel Paris, Matthew Renshaw, Jhye Richardson, D'Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitch Swepson, Chris Tremain, Jack Wildermuth

Schedule

One-day fixtures in Vijayawada

17 August v India A

19 August v South Africa A

21 August v India B

23 August v India A

25 August v South Africa A

27 August v India B

29 August - Quad-Series Final

Australia A four-day squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Alex Carey (vc), Ashton Agar, Brendan Doggett, Peter Handscomb, Travis Head, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Michael Neser, Joel Paris, Kurtis Patterson, Matthew Renshaw, Mitch Swepson, Chris Tremain

Four-day fixtures in Vizag

2-5 September v India A

8-11 September v India A