The highly anticipated World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 final between Australia and India, held at The Oval in London, is nearing its thrilling climax to determine the winner of the prestigious red-ball ICC event. Pat Cummins’ Australian team has maintained their dominance throughout the contest, scoring an impressive 469 runs in their first innings. In response, India put up a spirited fight from their middle-order but managed to post a total of just 296 runs. However, Australia’s strong performance on Day 3 saw them reach 123 runs in their third innings, establishing a lead of 296 runs with two days of play remaining.
Amidst the action, one incident stole the limelight – Marnus Labuschagne, the star batting all-rounder, caught taking a nap during Australia’s second innings.
The incident unfolded when Mohammed Siraj dismissed David Warner for just one run, leading to Labuschagne’s entry to the crease. However, the 28-year-old was spotted napping on camera moments before and after Warner’s dismissal. Labuschagne later explained that he was merely “resting his eyes” and attempting to calm his nerves during breaks between balls. He admitted that it is impossible to stay focused on the game continuously and clarified that he was fully awake shortly after Warner’s wicket fell.
Labuschagne addressed the incident and shed light on his intention behind the brief nap. He mentioned that he wanted to relax and ease his nerves during the tense match. Labuschagne emphasized that he didn’t have much time to rest before Mohammed Siraj delivered a bouncer that caught his attention and snapped him back into full awareness. In an interview with SEN Cricket, he stated, “I was just resting my eyes between balls and just relaxing. I was trying to calm my nerves a little bit. You can’t watch the game all the time. I got up there and was awake pretty soon. I didn’t have too many rests there when Siraj banged that first one in.”
