A comprehensive victory in the first Test at Pune was a massive relief for Australia in many ways. First and foremost, it ended Australia’s miserable record in Asia, a place where they lost their previous 9 tests on the trot. Apart from that, after a really long while, the spotlight wasn’t towards all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, a player considered to be a scapegoat for the critics.
Despite getting starts in the other dismal series against Sri Lanka last year, Marsh wasn’t able to make his willow do the talk as big scores eluded him. With the ball as well, despite bowling accurately, the numbers didn’t reflect the effort put in by the all-rounder. Thereby, it didn’t come as a surprise when he was axed after Australia’s defeat to South Africa in the first Test at Perth.
Making a comeback at Pune, Marsh did reasonably well as he scored 31 in the second innings. The all-rounder admitted that the time he spent away from Test cricket helped him quite a bit.
“In a way, it was probably a good thing because I just went back to the Big Bash and enjoyed myself, tried to slog a few,” Marsh said.
“Sometimes, it’s nice to get out of the spotlight. I was obviously under a lot of pressure for a while. “I worked on a few things that I feel like will hold me in good stead if I can play in Australia again, or play in other conditions.”
The all-rounder also added that he wasn’t too bothered by the criticism he received on social media.
“I wouldn’t have too much confidence if I read all the comments on Facebook,” he added. “That’s part and parcel of playing cricket for Australia at the top level. People are always entitled to their opinion.”
Former pacer Mitchell Johnson, however, never doubted the younger Marsh, as he recently praised the Marsh brothers.
“One thing I do know is how hard both Shaun and Mitch work. ‘I’m backing them to fire for Australia in Bangalore in what is a hugely important Test match,” Johnson said.