‘As a batting unit…’: Mitchell Marsh sends a stern warning to Suryakumar Yadav-led India | Cricket News
Australian T20 cricket captain Mitchell Marsh announced on Tuesday in Canberra that his team will maintain their aggressive batting approach despite potential failures, as they prepare for the 2025 T20 World Cup. Australia begins their preparation with a five-match T20I series against India starting Wednesday, following their unsuccessful campaigns in the last two World Cup editions where they failed to progress beyond early stages.Australia’s last T20 World Cup victory came in 2021, while India emerged victorious in the 2024 edition. The upcoming series against India serves as crucial preparation for the next World Cup, scheduled to be hosted jointly by India and Sri Lanka in February-March 2025.
“We had two World Cups where we didn’t quite go all the way. And I guess we spoke about wanting to challenge ourselves as a team to what we think can win us to the World Cup,” Marsh said during the pre-series press conference on Tuesday.“As a batting unit, we have played a lot more aggressively. I think that’s been the nature of T20 cricket for a lot of teams over the last few years. But yeah, if you look towards the World Cup in India, that’s certainly the way we’re going to play. We’re not going to get it right every time. We will fail. But we’re clear on how we want to go about it. That gives us the best chance for success. And hopefully that’s the case as we keep building.“Australia’s recent World Cup performances saw them exit at the Super 12 stage in 2022 and Super 8 in 2024. Marsh expressed respect for the Indian team and anticipates an exciting five-match series.“Look, they (India) are a fantastic team, one which we have great respect for and I think five-match series are going to provide a lot of excitement for the fans that are coming to watch. It’s two really good teams that are going to be going at it. So, looking forward to the challenge.”“I’m not really here to comment much on Indian side of preparation for the World Cup but I know that we’ve got eight games to go for us. And we’re really building nice as a team in the way we want to play and go about it. So, yeah, we feel great at the moment. But we know that it’s going to be a big series against India.”
Poll
Will Australia’s aggressive batting strategy be successful in the upcoming T20 World Cup?
Marsh addressed the familiarity between players due to IPL participation, noting that it doesn’t necessarily make the challenge easier. He emphasized that execution under pressure remains the key factor despite the extensive footage available of players worldwide.The Australian captain praised Indian opener Abhishek Sharma, who scored 314 runs at an average of 44.85 with a strike rate of 200 during India’s Asia Cup victory.“He obviously sets the tone for them. He’s been incredible for the Sunrisers over the last little period of time. He’ll provide us a good challenge…I think you want to be challenged against the best players in the world. We know he’s one of those,” Marsh commented.
