The temperature had dropped, the Adelaide Oval floodlights were on full blast, and Jasprit Bumrah had a shiny pink Kookaburra in his mitts.

Watch every ball of Australia v India LIVE & ad-break free during play in 4K on Kayo | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer >

When Marnus Labuschagne walked out to bat on Friday evening, conditions couldn’t have been more challenging for batting.

Bumrah had just removed veteran opener Usman Khawaja cheaply, leaving Labuschagne with about 90 minutes to survive before stumps. He knew one mistake could have been career-ending.

Leading into the day-night Test, Labuschagne had been bombarded with a tsunami of criticism following a string of low scores, including twin failures during the series opener against India in Perth.

The 30-year-old had averaged 24.50 during the calendar year, with three fifties in 12 knocks, while he looked all at sea against India’s quicks in the West Australian capital. If Australia went 2-0 down in the five-match series, national selectors would have felt obliged to make a change.

“It’s pretty impossible to kind of dismiss or ignore some of the commentary,” Australian captain Pat Cummins declared before the Adelaide Test.

“But he’s been great like he always is. Always working on things, trying to plan how he’s going to score his hundred this Test.”

Bumrah’s first over to the right-hander at Adelaide Oval was box office. Labuschagne defended the third delivery back down the pitch, with the Indian speedster retrieving the ball and glaring at his opponent.

The Australian No. 3 didn’t take a backward step, staring down his rival with unblinking eyes and barking: “Come on.”

The following ball was a peach, nipping away on a good length and beating the outside edge. Bumrah charged down the pitch, taunting the Australian with that trademark smirk.

Labuschagne needed 19 deliveries to get off the mark, prompting sarcastic jeers from around the venue when he scampered through for his first runs. However, India’s quicks generously offered a handful of full deliveries on the pads, which Labuschagne picked off with ease to get his innings underway.

He continued defending and leaving until a patron carrying a beer snake carelessly wandered past the sightscreen in the 25th over, impeding his view. But after backing away, a frustrated Mohammed Siraj chucked the ball at the stumps in protest.

The fired-up Indian seamer’s next delivery was short and wide — and Labuschagne didn’t miss out, thrashing a cut stroke through point for a boundary.

From that point on, rather than playing for survival, he wanted to score.

“We spoke about Marnus looking to leave, but looking to have a bit of intent as well, and we saw that positive attitude in his voice and his calling,” former Australian teammate David Warner told Fox Cricket.

“Marnus is still wanting to try and look to score. I know he’s leaving a lot of good balls on length, but (he) still had to be mindful of trying to tick that board over and not try to consume and absorb too much.

“We saw that happen in that first innings in Perth (and) you’d be kicking yourself if you do get one of those fine nicks, or something where you’ve you could have got off the mark, or you could have hit a hit a boundary.”

After nearly two hours of gutsy, patient cricket, Labuschagne got through to stumps alongside opener Nathan McSweeney to ensure the Australians had bragging rights overnight.

The following morning, Labuschagne signalled his intent early by flicking the first delivery through mid-wicket for three. He was steady, composed, with his head over the ball.

Not long after, Siraj overpitched and Labuschagne punched down the ground for an authoritative boundary, his first runs in the ‘V’ for the series. Unlike the Perth debacle, Labuschagne was willing to play on the front foot, transferring his weight towards the ball.

He accelerated after passing fifty, his 21st in Tests, forming a counterattacking partnership of 65 with hometown hero Travis Head. Facing Indian seamer Harshit Rana, he cracked three consecutive boundaries, including a couple of delicate late cuts and an elegant pull through square leg.

“It’s a quality knock because of the conditions he’s had to bat in,” former England captain Michael Vaughan said on Fox Cricket.

“He’s played with such great intent, great balance.”

Labuschagne’s knock came to an anticlimactic end late in the afternoon session, carving a wide delivery from Nitish Kumar Reddy towards gully, where Yashasvi Jaiswal claimed a sharp chance.

The dismissal was against the run of play, but Labuschagne had already ensured Australia would take a lead into the second innings.

While every other member of Australia’s top order succumbed to Bumrah’s magic in the first inning, Labuschagne weathered the storm to prevent another collapse — and perhaps saved his career.

He didn’t reach triple figures, but Labuschagne had played himself back into form with three Tests still to come.