Working hard especially on the mental aspect of the game and staying as much in the present without worrying about things has helped him immensely and has led to a resurgence in his career, said Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh. 

Marsh, who has made a genuine strive to better his batting prowess in the last one year, struggled in the first Test at Dubai but he feels more equipped now to deal with failures and just focus on the ball as it arrives. 

"I don't necessarily think along the lines of whether my career is going to peak and how everything is going to happen. What cricket has taught me over time is to stay in the present," he was quoted saying ahead of the second Test at Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, October 16, "I wake up every day trying to get better and prepare as well as I can for the games. I know if I tick those boxes then - I know I have the game to score big runs for a long period of time and the rest takes care of itself. My biggest lesson has been to stay in the present."

"Yes, I have come a long way in that sense. Eighteen months ago, I had no routine in between balls. I used to think a lot between balls and that was part of my mental game I really needed to improve. I feel that is where I have made my biggest strides in batting sense," he added. 

Marsh also expressed how the consistency in preparations and practice has helped him and added, "Now, I'm more consistent than I have ever been in my preparations. The format doesn't really matter. From a mental perspective, you need to play more shots in limited overs cricket, but my routine remains the same and that has helped me remain consistent,"

Marsh also shed light on the relaxation methods which he is more aware of these days and employs even while batting. 

He said, "I think about fishing in the nets or let my mind drift and then go back to concentrating on the ball that is coming towards me. It is something that all great batters in the past have talked about - being able to switch off between balls, Greg Chappell talks about it, Justin Langer talks about it," and reiterated, "So it is really important for me to practice that at training and then take it out to the game."

Looking ahead to Abu Dhabi and important next 12 months, Marsh said, "We have spoken about it as a team. Every series we play for Australian is big. You try not to think about it too much, but there is a bit of excitement coming up against the best team in the world this summer," and signed off with, "Hopefully, Australians get right behind us and we are going to need them."

(Inputs from Cricbuzz)