Mitchell Marsh to play only as a batter against India in ODI Series

Mitchell Marsh

After a three-month break from competitive cricket, Glenn Maxwell is struggling to regain his “mental application” and is working tirelessly to “raise match intensity” in preparation for the vital ODI series against India, which is also the country that will host the World Cup later this year. After a protracted injury absence, all-rounders Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, and paceman Jhye Richardson on Thursday rejoined Australia’s 16-person ODI team. Maxwell and Marsh both needed surgery for fractured legs and ankle injuries, but Richardson missed the game because of a soft tissue issue.

Maxwell, who made a comeback to cricket this week in Victoria’s Marsh Sheffield Shield triumph over South Australia, says he is still adjusting to the mental side of the game. Maxwell was cited by cricket.com.au as saying, “During the Shield game, certainly mentally batting in that position I wasn’t quite there.”

“In the nets, you may put in all the effort, but it takes mental effort to bring that mental application back in the game.

“We’ve got the one-day series, which is going to be a major series especially with the World Cup in India and will be a wonderful opportunity for us to try and work out some things and get our game plan ready. Maxwell is hoping that the forced rest from his injuries will enable him continue playing. “Maybe this forced break will lengthen the back end of my career a little bit, and perhaps I can play some good cricket for the rest of my career,” the player said.

But, Marsh made it obvious that he now doesn’t want to endanger his career by bowling and will likely solely play as a batsman in India. The 31-year-old claimed he made the decision to go under the knife to extend his all-around career.