Perth [Australia], November 20 : Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, heading into the highly-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against India as an in-form Test batter, said that over the years, he has worked hard on the mental side of his game and has learnt to let his failures go.
Marsh, a pace-bowling all-rounder with his explosive batting will be one of the talking points of the series against India. In his Test run from 2014-19, Marsh, son of legendary Goeff Marsh, struggled big time, averaging a poor 25.20 and having made just three centuries and six fifties in 55 innings.
However, last year during the Ashes series against England, Marsh returned to the Test side after four years and turned over a new leaf in his career, mixing his aggression with never-seen consistency. In five Tests last year, he averaged 67.50, scoring 540 runs with a century and four fifties. He also starred in Australia's sixth 50-over World Cup win with the bat, scoring 441 runs in 10 innings with two centuries and a fifty.
Speaking on FOX Cricket, Marsh said, "I have worked really hard on the mental side of my game, to be able to walk out there and get straight into my pre-ball routines, no matter how nervous I am."
"For me, it is all about my preparation. If I prepare as well as I possibly can, I go into a game or an innings really confident, then if I fail, I can look at myself in the mirror and say that I have actually done all I can. Sometimes it is a good ball, sometimes it is a mental error. You learn from that, and you move on quickly."
"Probably in the past, I was not able to let those failures go, carrying them into my next innings or my next game, which over a while can really weigh you down. I have certainly gotten a lot better in that area."
"It does not guarantee me success, but it certainly allows me to enjoy the game a bit more, no matter what situation I find myself in. I feel as if I have got tools now to hopefully get me through," he concluded his point.
Speaking about a ten-year drought of a series win against India in Tests, which also includes two losses at home in 2018-19 and 2020-21, March said that the previous setbacks will motivate his team a lot.
"Since the last time they played here, we have grown a lot as a team. We have got a really experienced group now, and I think the fact that we have lost the last two series, our fans will be up and about for that and hopefully get right behind us," he added.
After the series opener in Perth on November 22, the second Test, featuring the day-night format, will take place under lights at Adelaide Oval from December 6 to 10.
Fans will then turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test from December 14 to 18.
The traditional Boxing Day Test, scheduled from December 26 to 30 at Melbourne's iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, will mark the series' penultimate stage.
The fifth and final Test will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, promising an exciting climax to a highly anticipated series.
India's squad for Border-Gavaskar Series: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli, Prasidh Krishna, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar.
Australia squad for the first Test: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc.