During the third day of the World Test Championship (WTC) Final between Australia and India at the Oval in London, an amusing incident took place involving Aussie batter Marnus Labuschagne. The 28-year-old star was caught dozing off, but his nap got abruptly interrupted by the enthusiastic cheers of the crowd celebrating opener David Warner‘s dismissal.
It all happened during the third over of Australia’s second innings when Mohammed Siraj‘s skilful bowling posed challenges for Warner. It was precisely at that moment when the cameras captured Labuschagne in the dressing room balcony, caught in a brief slumber.
Nevertheless, on the very next delivery, Siraj managed to dismiss Warner with a well-executed wobble-seam delivery that angled away from the left-handed batter. The exuberant cheers of the crowd upon Warner’s departure instantly roused Labuschagne from his sleep.
The South African-born Australian star swiftly gathered his composure and prepared himself to take the field. Commentators Harsha Bhogle and Justin Langer couldn’t contain their amusement, as they found the entire situation highly entertaining and burst into laughter.
Here is the video:
Labuschagne took a little time to position himself and take his guard before facing his first delivery. On-air commentators playfully remarked that the right-handed batter appeared to require some additional moments to rejuvenate himself. Labuschagne remained unbeaten on 41 from 118 deliveries as Australia ended the third day’s play at 123/4, leading India by 296 runs. Earlier, India scripted a significant comeback thanks to Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur. The duo added 109 runs for the sixth wicket, with Rahane scoring 89 off 129 balls and Thakur chipping in with 51 from 109 deliveries.
