Australia vs India: Mitch Marsh’s take on 2024 Border-Gavaskar Test series

The highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy gets nether measurement astatine Perth Stadium connected Friday pinch India, coming disconnected nan backmost of a daze 3-0 nonaccomplishment astatine location to New Zealand, aiming to proceed their occurrence against Australia by winning their 3rd successive distant bid down under.

Australia whitethorn person defeated India successful past year’s World Test Championship Final but it’s been a decade since they’ve won a bid against their awesome South Asian rivals.

Australia’s prima all-rounder Mitchell Marsh said to Melinda Farrell, moving connected behalf of Al Jazeera Sport, from Perth up of nan first of 5 Test matches.

Marsh is looking guardant to playing successful his first Test bid against India since 2018.

Al Jazeera: Mitch, successful nan past 18 months Australia person won nan World Cup and World Test Championship Finals against India but immoderate players successful this squad person ne'er knowledgeable a Test bid triumph against India successful a series. Is it an itch you really want to scratch?

Mitchell Marsh: I don’t deliberation it’s an itch to scratch, but everyone’s very excited to play successful this series. There has been a immense build-up. And we’ve built a awesome rivalry pinch this squad and nan group that are successful it, truthful we’re conscionable each excited to ace connected and hopefully, it’s a really entertaining series.

Al Jazeera: Is it unthinkable for Australia to suffer 3 consecutive location bid successful a statement to India? Does nan anticipation of a 3rd consecutive conclusion bring this bid into moreover sharper focus?

Marsh: One of nan existent strengths of our squad complete this past small play is conscionable our expertise to enactment coming successful high-pressure situations, which location surely will beryllium passim this series. For us, looking backmost astatine bid that we’ve mislaid and bid that we’ve won, aliases trophies that we’ve won complete nan past fewer years, they’re awesome memories. Obviously, nan losses are not awesome ones. But correct now, it’s conscionable astir focusing connected this series. And we don’t request immoderate other information to correspond our state and to play successful nan Border-Gavaskar Trophy, truthful we won’t look back. We’ll enactment coming successful nan moment.

Al Jazeera: Is this nan astir susceptible India person been coming into a bid against Australia successful caller years, pinch heightened scrutiny aft nan mislaid New Zealand bid and mobility marks astir nan shape of cardinal Indian players?

Marsh: We’ve sewage a batch of respect for India. We cognize that they’re a awesome cricket side. Any bid that you lose, you’re ever disappointed, truthful I’m judge they were disappointed to suffer to New Zealand. But for us, it’s astir really focusing connected what we’re trying to achieve, nan measurement that we want to play, and zero successful connected that. We cognize that astatine our champion we’re a very bully cricket side, arsenic are they.

Al Jazeera: Will this beryllium a bowlers’ bid aliases a batters’ series?

Marsh: For my sake, hopefully not bowling! [laughs] Look, I deliberation it’s going to beryllium a really moreover battle. Both teams person sewage awesome bowling lineups. The wickets successful Australia complete nan past fewer years person been awesome cricket wickets. There haven’t been nan large scores [in caller years], but yet we don’t know. The champion squad will triumph nan bid by batting and bowling really well.

Australia’s Mitchell Marsh will beryllium a changeless threat pinch some bat and shot successful nan upcoming Test bid against India, opening connected November 22 successful Perth, Australia [Patrick Hamilton/Reuters]

Al Jazeera: How important will your domiciled arsenic a 4th seamer be, particularly without Cameron Green successful nan squad?

Marsh: I’m looking guardant to it. It’s not caller territory for me. I’ve been present plentifulness of times. I consciousness really calm and I’m conscionable going astir my work. If you look astatine really galore overs nan all-rounders bowled complete nan past 3 to 4 years, it’s really not a lot, but they tin beryllium important overs. And for me, whether it’s a mates of overs present and there, aliases 10 overs to 15 overs, it’s conscionable astir competing and being really clear connected my domiciled and trying to springiness nan boys a pat retired erstwhile required. I’m really relaxed astir my bowling and wherever it’s astatine and I consciousness really good prepared. That feels good.

Al Jazeera: India’s superstar batsman Virat Kohli, arsenic always, has been nether peculiar scrutiny but Australia often seems to bring retired nan champion successful him. Do you effort to get nether his tegument aliases is it a lawsuit of decidedly don’t flick nan bear?

Marsh: He’s nan caller Harley Reid [West Coast Eagles subordinate successful nan Australian Football League], successful position of backmost pages. He’s connected nan backmost page of nan West Australian [newspaper] astatine nan moment. It’s been nosy to read. We cognize he’s 1 of nan top to ever play nan game, and you don’t go 1 of nan top without being capable to execute nether pressure. So it’s ever precocious stakes. We’ve sewage a batch of respect for Virat, and hopefully, we tin support him quiet passim nan series, but we cognize that location are going to beryllium times erstwhile he whitethorn get connected apical of us, and you respect that. I conjecture you’re conscionable looking guardant to nan situation of playing against guys for illustration that.

Al Jazeera:  That sounds for illustration don’t flick nan bear.

Marsh: He’s been poked galore times!

Al Jazeera: Will this beryllium a Test bid wherever it tin consciousness a spot much for illustration an distant crowd? Newspapers person been publishing articles successful Hindi and Punjabi and there’s a immense Indian fanbase successful Australia.

Marsh: I deliberation it’s fantastic. We cognize that nan Indian cricket squad is astir apt 1 of nan biggest sporting teams successful nan world, successful immoderate sport. Anywhere they go, they person a immense magnitude of support. Indian cricket fans are immoderate of nan champion successful nan world, and truthful nan opportunity to play successful beforehand of them anyplace you spell is ever fantastic. I situation opportunity we’re still going to person a batch of Australian fans. It’s been a immense build-up, and we know, surely pinch these large series, really overmuch our fans get astir us. So to spot some sets of fans going astatine it astatine nan grounds, will beryllium astonishing to beryllium a portion of.

Al Jazeera: Final question, Mitch. What are your favourite Border-Gavaskar bid memories, either watching aliases playing?

Marsh: Seeing Australia triumph successful 2004 erstwhile Gilly [Adam Gilchrist] was captain. It was conscionable backs against nan wall, and nan measurement they went astir it was beautiful special. Watching arsenic a young kid past was amazing. And my first Test triumph was against India astatine Adelaide Oval [in 2014]. It was a really typical week. It was my first Test astatine home, my 3rd Test match. Gazza [Nathan Lyon] spun america to victory. I took a drawback connected nan outfield. I was a young, bright-eyed kid and that was a really typical moment. I sang nan squad opus pinch my aged man [father] retired successful nan mediate of Adelaide Oval. It was very special.

Mitchell Marsh is looking guardant to playing successful his first Test bid against India since 2018, starting pinch nan opening Test that originates connected Friday, November 22 connected his location crushed successful Perth, Australia [Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images]

The question and reply has been edited for magnitude and clarity.