Marnus shrugs off plaudits as ODI bow awaits

Man-of-the-moment Marnus Labuschagne is playing down comparisons with the world's best Test batsmen as he switches his focus to Australia's next assignment, a three-match ODI series in India.

Labuschagne clattered four hundreds in five Tests through the Australian summer to continue his remarkable ascent as an international batsman, but the India ODIs represent a whole new challenge for the brilliant right-hander, who is yet to debut for his country in the format.

The 25-year-old toured India with an Australia A side in 2018 – a trip that precipitated his Test debut in the UAE a month later – but conceded he will be mining his more seasoned teammates for information ahead of the series, which begins on January 14.

"If I get an opportunity that'd be great," said Labuschagne, who returned home to Brisbane today and will fly to the subcontinent on Thursday.

"I played some one-day cricket for Queensland earlier this (summer) and I really enjoyed that. I really enjoy the shorter formats.

"It's about taking one step at a time … luckily I have a wealth of experience there with Aaron Finch, David Warner, Steve Smith … to continue to learn from those guys is great.

"Whenever you play India it's a tough series because they're a very tough opposition. They've got great batters and bowlers, so it's going to be a challenge. But as a player you always want to test yourself against the best opposition in the toughest conditions, and there's nothing tougher than India in India."

Labuschagne is likely to climb to third position on the ICC Test rankings, behind only Virat Kohli and Steve Smith, after his majestic 215 against New Zealand in the third Domain Test at the SCG, but he insists any comparisons to those modern-day greats are wide of the mark.

"For people to speak like that is amazing, but there's a lot more work to be done before anything like that can be talked about," he said.

"Kane Williamson, Virat Kohli, Steve Smith – those guys have been doing it for five, six, seven years. To have one good summer doesn't make you a great player.

"So for me it's about trying to be consistent and trying to get Australia to win games.

"It's exciting, obviously, the summer I've had, and it's been really fun to enjoy it with Steve (Smith) – he's been a great help – and the whole team/ We're gelling so well together, and to win a summer five-nil, to not lose a game on home soil, it's just amazing."

Australia will play three ODIs in six days in India, with Labuschagne expected to slot somewhere into the middle order as the team undergoes a tweak in personnel following last year's World Cup campaign.

The effervescent right-hander has a strong record in List A cricket – he has tallied 926 runs at 51.44 (SR 93.63) across his past three one-day domestic tournaments – and looks well-equipped to become a long-term member of Australia's ODI side, though he concedes his maiden tour is a formidable one.

"It's probably good preparation coming from (playing on the SCG) going to India … that's probably the closest we have in Australia to spinning conditions," he added.

"But with the format change, and the wickets will be different, I've got a lot of experience to lean on with guys who have played five, six, seven years of IPL and Test tours over there for Australia, so there's a lot to learn.

"It's a whole different kettle of fish travelling with the Australian team and what that entails, and going there and playing against India – they've obviously got a strong team so it's going to be a really good challenge."

Australia Qantas ODI Tour of India 2020

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey (vc), Pat Cummins (vc), Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Kane Richardson, D'Arcy Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, David Warner, Adam Zampa

India squad: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami.

First ODI: January 14, Mumbai (D/N) (Fox & Kayo)

Second ODI: January 17, Rajkot (D/N) (Fox & Kayo)

Third ODI: January 19, Bengaluru (D/N) (Fox & Kayo)