'We would be devastated if Kohli and Co can't tour Down Under'

Marnus Labuschagne

Top Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne on Monday said that he and his team would be "pretty devastated" if India don't make the trip Down Under for a Test and limited-overs series later this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

India's tour of Australia will begin with a T20 tri-series in October and is scheduled to end with a four-match Test series in December. The speculation about the tour is due to the travel restrictions currently in place and the uncertainty surrounding how long it would take to control the pandemic.

Replying to a query on the tour in an online press conference, Labuschagne said: "Well, it would mean that we are not playing cricket which is pretty devastating for myself, the rest of the team and for the country."

In between, there is the T20 World Cup, scheduled for an October 18 start, but the mega event's future is also shrouded in uncertainty due to the global crisis.

Australia has reported significant drop in positive cases with parts of the country relaxing lockdown rules. Just over 6,800 people have tested positive for the virus with less than 100 deaths in the country so far. Labuschagne lauded Australia's healthcare system and its response to the crisis so far.

"Australia has done very well with the quarantine and isolation, so we've been able to get our number down relatively quickly. With a limited amount of deaths and our healthcare system has been so good during this time," he said.

Labuschagne, currently placed at No.3 in ICC Test rankings after a brilliant year, hoped that Australia's control over the pandemic would be enough to ensure that India tour without any hassles.

"Hopefully, because of all that good work we can actually get India over here in 3-4 months or 4-5 months," he said. "Everything is changing so quickly, so it's really hard to put my finger on how everything's going to pan out. Hopefully, it pans out well but if it doesn't it will be very disappointing."

In the meantime, Labuschagne, who has enjoyed a breakout year in Tests and ODIs, is working on sharpening his skills during this forced break. "The way things have unfolded has been awesome. For me it's been about, one, taking it all in and being really happy and proud of that," Labuschagne said.

"But also then looking at, 'righto, how I can get better?' and looking at different parts of your game on and off the field that you can work on to make sure you're continually getting better," he added.

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