India, Sept. 7 -- Marnus Labuschagne held onto his spot in the Test squad for the upcoming three-match series against South Africa despite a string of poor performances in recent months. Legends like Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden have called for his exclusion, but the right-hander was shown faith by George Bailey as Cricket Australia announced the squad on Monday for the upcoming blockbuster series between the top two-positioned teams in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings.

It has been more than three years since Labuschagne last hit a century in July 2023, averaging just 24.69 in his last 43 Test innings. Recently, he also lost his place in the ODI squad for the contest against the Proteas, but retained his place in the Test ...