Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh expressed his admiration for Indian wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant, stating that he wishes Pant was an Australian player. In an interview ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Test series 2024-2025, Marsh praised Pant's character, describing him as a ‘ripping bloke’ with a strong desire to win.
Mitchell Marsh Praises Rishabh Pant
“He's a ripping bloke. I wish he was Australian. He's obviously been through a lot over the last few years, and it's been a hell of a comeback. He's a positive guy, still really young, and he loves winning. He's highly competitive for someone who has the persona of being relaxed and always laughing and smiling. He's got that big smile,” Marsh told Star Sports.
“The Indian cricketer I believe is most Australian would be Rishabh Pant. I think the way he goes about his aggressive nature and his work ethic would make him very enjoyable to play with,” he added.
Meanwhile, India's superstar wicketkeeper-batter Pant responded to the Marsh's remark on Instagram with a series of emojis.
Ahead of the Border-Gavaskar series, Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood highlighted the need for his team to devise strategies to counter young Indian batters like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill. Given their limited experience against these players, Hazlewood emphasized the importance of developing effective plans to address their strengths. The five-Test Border-Gavaskar series is set to begin in Perth on November 22, with India aiming to maintain their dominance over the prestigious trophy. Australia, on the other hand, will be striving to showcase their bowling prowess and reclaim the title after consecutive home losses in 2018-19 and 2020-21. Jaiswal and Gill have recently emerged as India's leading batters and are expected to form the backbone of the batting lineup alongside captain Rohit Sharma and veteran Virat Kohli.
Hazlewood's focus on basics for series win
Hazlewood, a key member of the Australian bowling unit, emphasised the importance of executing the fundamentals to secure a series victory against India. The series win would be crucial for Australia in the ongoing World Test Championship cycle. Hazlewood's strong performance will be essential for Australia's success in reclaiming the trophy, which they last won in 2014-15.
"The strategy is probably more focused on the newer players we haven't played much Test cricket against, like (Yashasvi) Jaiswal and even Shubman Gill, who we've only faced a few times," Hazlewood told Star Sports.
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