Marsh didn't quite do much with the ball, but his ability to negotiate spin makes him a far safer option as a batsman than Maxwell for the Aussies
Mitchell Marsh knows well that he is fighting for a spot in Australia's playing XI with Glenn Maxwell for the Test series against India. And should a typically Indian turning track stare at the visitors, the latter might just sneak past him.
But the seaming all-rounder did all he could to make his case for the first Test stronger, hitting a patient 75 on the second day of their warm-up game on Saturday.
Marsh didn't quite do much with the ball, but his ability to negotiate spin makes him a far safer option as a batsman than Maxwell for the Aussies.
Known more as a big hitter of the ball, Marsh mellowed down rather well during his knock at the Brabourne Stadium, batting at a strike rate of 47 and adding a touch of defence to his attacking abilities.
"If you have a solid defence, you can attack the balls that are there to attack and go on the offence. That's something that I have learnt, playing in the sub-continent over a couple of times now. So, it's something that I've worked on," Marsh said about adapting his batting style on Indian conditions after the day's play.
What he has also learnt is the importance of keeping the scoreboard ticking by getting those ones and twos consistently against the Indian spinners.
"I've just faced a lot more spin over time," Marsh said. "I've learnt that rotation of strike is really important, especially in the sub-continent, getting off strike. I've adapted my game, and hopefully I can get better at it."
And he need not look much farther than his brother Shaun, who has a good batting record in Tests in Asia, for tips on getting better at playing the turning ball.
"Nah, he's pretty quiet. He doesn't speak to me much," Marsh said with a chuckle.
"But yes, we obviously speak about it. I think the biggest change in this tour is that the whole team is talking about it as much as we can. A majority of this team has had a few tours to the sub-continent now, so the whole group has learnt a few good lessons out of our previous tours and hopefully we can execute that in the Test series," he added.
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