Labuschagne keeps wolves at bay with feisty knock

With the wolves at his door, Marnus Labuschagne picked a fight with the biggest and baddest of them all.

The struggling Australian batsman strode on to Adelaide Oval against India with his Test career on the line.

Then he baited Jasprit Bumrah.

Amid a stretch of low returns - eight scores under 10 runs in his previous nine innings - Labuschagne's spot was openly in question as he walked out to bat in the second Test against India.

But Labuschagne rediscovered some form, scoring a half-century before being dismissed for 64 on Saturday's second day of play in Adelaide.

Pre-match, Labuschagne's captain Pat Cummins forecast the No.3 batter would be more proactive in a bid to emerge from his form slump.

But not even Cummins would have predicted his response on Friday night.

Labuschagne went directly and theatrically into a duel with the world's No.1 fast bowler, Bumrah.

The Indian strike bowler delivered one drama-charged over to the out-of-sorts Labuschagne, who daringly eyeballed the Indian star.

Bumrah was unable to remove Labuschagne, whose previous nine knocks were three, two, six, 90, two, one, five, three and one not out.

The Queenslander faced 18 balls before scoring a run but went to stumps on Friday night unbeaten on 20.

On Saturday, Labuschagne found some fluency in a knock that will silence his critics.

The right-hander extended his stellar record at Adelaide Oval in day-night Tests - he averages 78.37 with three tons and two half-centuries.

But his dismissal - sharply caught at a wide slip from a back cut - drew some consternation from Labuschagne's former teammate David Warner, now on Fox Sport's commentary team.

"The most frustrating thing for the Australian cricket team, Marnus Labuschagne, every time he gets to 50 he starts getting comfortable and starts playing those shots," Warner said.

"And so often it leads to his dismissal."