Mitchell Marsh talked about the hilarious incident that happened during the second BGT 2024 Test in Adelaide when he walked off against R Ashwin’s bowling.
The 33-year-old surged forward to defend Ashwin's delivery, and a playback revealed that the bat had brushed his pad as the ball sped past the outside edge. While Ashwin was considering an appeal, umpire Richard Illingworth raised his finger as the batter began to walk back.
“Everyone else was laughing at me. Honestly, I just thought I hit it so I walked off. When I got to the change rooms they asked if I hit it and I said yeah I smashed it. And then the replay came up and the head went into the hands,” Marsh told reporters on Thursday.
The Australian all-rounder was on nine runs at the time and was struggling to pick up Ashwin’s deliveries.
“Obviously a world-class bowler, if you look up and down the lines-ups of both teams there are world-class bowlers everywhere. As a batter it is about planning as well as you can and trying to get on top of them,” Marsh added.
Mitchell Marsh also talked about his plans to counter India’s most lethal bowler Jasprit Bumrah. In the first two games, the ace bowler has picked up 12 wickets at an average of 11.25.
“I think each batter has their own plans. As a batting unit, we back each other’s plans. I think when you have the best bowler in the world and you are just trying to see him off he is going to have one with your name on it. I think it is about applying pressure with your own method and taking the challenge on,” Marsh said.
“Everyone has their own plans and we all bat differently so (it’s about) the situation in the game. Sometimes you have to get through a spell and sometimes it is time to attack. We have guys in our batting lineup who just play differently. Getting through your own way and moving the game forward is really important when you are facing one of the best attacks in the world. I think I have had a really clear method over the last 18 months with the way I have gone about it. That will continue,” Marsh added.
Marsh also voiced faith in Steve Smith's ability to recover in the third Test. Smith has only managed 19 runs in three innings so far this series.
"We know he's one of our best players ever and I'm certainly backing him to get some runs. I'm probably not in a position to tell Steve Smith what he should work on. We know he's a class player and he's scored a lot of runs for Australia and we know at times when we've needed him, he always seems to step up," Marsh said.
Marsh also stated that the Australian team is focused on the present rather than dwelling on India’s win at Gabba on the 2020-21 tour.
"The biggest thing for us is just focusing on this week and not what's happened in the past. The way we bounced back from Perth was an example of that. We're really focused on playing our style this week and hopefully going 2-1 up in the series," Marsh said.
The third BGT 2024 Test will begin on Saturday in Brisbane.
(PTI inputs)
