Australia captain Mitchell Marsh on Friday praised his fast bowler Josh Hazlewood’s match-winning spell in the second T20 match against India and also highlighted his preparations for the T20 World Cup to be held in the subcontinent next year. Under cloudy Melbourne skies, the tide once again swung in Australia’s favor and Marsh decided to bowl to take advantage of the wet surface. Hazlewood stormed the field in the powerplay at the famous MCG. He shook India’s top order by dismissing vice-captain Shubhman Gill (5), captain Suryakumar Yadav (1) and in-form Tilak Verma and took 3 wickets for 13 runs in his four-over spell.
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Marsh said in the post-match presentation that absolutely! We had a good chance to win the toss – there was a bit of moisture under the pitch. Hough (Hazlewood) is a great bowler, and when there is a bit of moisture in the pitch, he takes full advantage of it. I think collectively we bowled very well, were aggressive in taking wickets consistently and took charge of the match well. After Hazlewood’s fast bowling spell, Abhishek Sharma’s explosive 68 off 37 balls and Harshit Rana’s phenomenal 35 took India to 125. In reply, Marsh scored a quickfire 46 off 26 balls to give Australia a four-wicket win with six overs to spare.
A comprehensive win over the T20 world champions would act as a vital boost ahead of next year’s Mahakumbh. Marsh admitted that they have been building a team since they were eliminated from the Super 8 stage of the tournament in 2024. Marsh further said that since the last World Cup, we have tried to build a team of around 25 players who can step in when needed. We want everyone to feel connected and part of the team. There are some great young talents emerging in Australian cricket, and they are learning fast.
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Chasing the target of 126, Marsh displayed his tremendous power and thrashed the Indian spinners to become the fourth Australian player to cross the 2,000 T20I runs mark, joining David Warner (3,277), Aaron Finch (3,120) and Glenn Maxwell (2,833). Considering this special achievement, the Australian captain admitted that he was a little nervous about it.