Aussie cricket legend's huge prediction for Marnus Labuschagne as telling footage emerges

Aussie cricket great Mike Hussey says Marnus Labuschagne has taken on too much responsibility and that is the main reason behind his form slump. On Thursday, the under-pressure batsman went back to the basics, with his best mate bowling to him in the nets as Labuschagne attempts to recapture the form that saw him establish himself as one of the best batsmen in world cricket.

Labuschagne scored just two and three as India dismantled the Australian top order in both innings en route to an emphatic 295-run win in Perth on Monday. And the Queenslander has scored just 123 runs in his last 10 Test knocks at a measly average of 13.66.

Labuschagne was long considered one of Australia's most reliable batters but lately, he looks all at sea at the crease and there is a strong belief that if he doesn't get runs in Adelaide he will lose his spot in the Test side. So in a bid to get comfortable back at the crease, the out-of-form No.3 joined fringe Queensland players in the nets at Allan Border Field and batted freely.

After the session, Labuschagne spoke of the disappointment of Australia's dismal performance in Perth, a game which led to many calling for him to be dropped. “It is always tough when you lose a game for Australia and you are not scoring runs,‘’ Labuschagne told The Courier-Mail.

“That is your job as a batter. You have to score runs. I have to score runs. If I am not doing that we are not winning Tests. That is never good, is it?

Of his lengthy net session, Labuschange said: “It is no different to my normal preparation – I am always trying to find that right rhythm. “We have got about eight days. Unfortunately, it does not matter until we roll out on that day one wicket.

Mike Hussey believes Marnus Labuschagne's slump is mental

Labuschagne's technique and overall approach have been called into question following Australia's first Test defeat. But Hussey doesn't believe it's much different from the style that made him so successful. Instead, he believes it comes down to Labuschagne's mindset.

“I actually went back and had a look at some of his highlights of some of his great innings from a few years back. It was just to see if I could see anything different than what we've been seeing in the last week or so,” Hussey told SEN.

“From a technical perspective, there's actually not a lot of difference from when he was playing really well in scoring a lot of runs compared to the last Test match against India. The biggest difference I've noticed is just his intent to score. He's probably looking at it thinking, ‘I'm a senior player now, I've got to take responsibility, I've got to bat time, be there for the team, soak up the pressure and all of that’.

“That gets you into a tentative defensive frame of mind - of batting time, being there and being patient. Whereas when I watched some of those highlights from a few years back, he was just confident and decisive in everything he did, even in defence and when he was letting the ball go he was getting into really strong positions.”

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Mike Hussey confident of bounce back against India in Adelaide

But Hussey has backed the No.3 to turn things around and post a good score against India in Adelaide. “I feel as though it's something that can be fixed really quickly just with a mindset shift,” Hussey said.

“If he can just change that mindset of just looking to occupy the crease … into, ‘Whatever I do, I’m going to do it confidently, decisively and be a little bit more positive with an intent to score’. I feel like he can turn it around really quickly.” Australia face India in the second Test at the Adelaide Oval starting on December 6.