Recently retired Australian Test opener David Warner has backed Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja to find runs against India buts says he wasn’t convinced by Marnus Labuschagne’s half century in Adelaide.

The pink-ball Test at Adelaide Oval across the weekend was labeled as Labuschagne’s last chance to prove he should hold his spot after the leanest 12 months of his career (averaging 28.09 in 2024) culminated in two eye-sore innings to start the summer in Perth.

However, the Queenslander showed grit to survive the opening night session under lights alongside opener Nathan McSweeney before kicking on to his 21st Test half century and setting the platform for Travis Head’s incredible 140 from 141 balls.

It was the 30-year-old’s dismissal that caught the ire of Warner who said he didn’t think Labuschagne overcame his demons in the City of Churches and suggested India didn’t bowl well enough to him.

“I’m still not convinced with Marnus. I don’t think that was anywhere near what we know he’s capable of,” Warner told the Herald Sun.

“He might have got a couple out of the middle, got a couple of freebies, batted well that night to get through but they bowled poorly.

“So from that perspective, he had the best conditions to come out and bat in. But he got out the same way he always does get out when he gets over 50, hits it straight to gully.

“So there’s a lack of awareness there of what he’s got to be mindful of. I don’t think he’s anywhere near where he should be.”

Khawaja and Smith also suffered lean outings in Perth where Australia were thumped and showed little improvement as the side levelled the series 1-1 on Sunday.

But despite the pair having worse averages then Labuschagne this year - Khawaja averaging 25.66 and Smith 23.20 - Warner was quick to defend his former long-term teammates.

“Steve of late, I think a lot of teams have been bowling at his pads and down leg side. So I think from that perspective they’re trying to shut his scoring down quite a bit,” he said.

“You see he’s trying to tinker with fixing certain things with Bumrah. His feet weren’t moving across this time. We know what Steve’s like, one knock and then he’s there.

“But as we know, the best form of currency is runs so you’ve just got to try your best to churn them out.

“Uz, exactly the same. He’s had a great 12 months before. But then of late he hasn’t scored as many runs as he would have liked, but same thing, you’ve just got to go out there and still present the same attitude, the same at training, keep working hard.”