Melbourne [Australia], October 31 : Australia captain Mitchell Marsh was effusive about pace bowling mainstay Josh Hazlewood for his match-winning spell in the second T20I against India on Friday and shed light on their preparations for next year's T20 World Cup in the sub-continent.
Under the overcast sky of Melbourne, the coin spun in Australia's favour once again, and Marsh opted to bowl, looking to exploit the surface that held moisture. Hazlewood brought thunder down the ground in the powerplay at the famed MCG. He rattled India's top-order by outfoxing vice-captain Shubman Gill (5), captain Suryakumar Yadav (1) and in-form Tilak Varma to return with figures of 3-13 in his four-over spell.
"Exactly! We got a good toss to win - there was a bit of moisture underneath. Hoff (Hazlewood) is a great bowler, and when there's a little in the surface, he makes it count. I thought we bowled collectively really well, kept attacking for wickets, and set the game up nicely," Marsh said in the post-match presentation.
After Hazlewood's fiery spell, Abhishek Sharma's rollicking 37-ball 68 and an unprecedented 35-run cameo from Harshit Rana lifted India to 125. In reply, Marsh engineered a rapid 46(26) to clear Australia's way to a four-wicket win with more than six overs to spare.
A comprehensive victory over the T20 World Champions would serve as a significant boost ahead of next year's showpiece event. Marsh admitted that they have been building a squad since their exit from the Super 8 stage of the tournament in 2024.
"Since the last World Cup, we've tried to build a squad of around 25 players who can all step up when needed. We want everyone to feel part of the team and connected. There's some great young talent coming through in Australian cricket, and they're learning fast," Marsh added.
While gunning down the 126-run target, Marsh flaunted his brute force and clobbered Indian spinners to become just the fourth Australian to breach the 2,000 T20I runs mark, joining David Warner (3,277), Aaron Finch (3,120), and Glenn Maxwell (2,833). With the special milestone in mind, the Australian skipper admitted he felt nervous about it.
"I was a bit nervous at 10 off 10, but got going again. So, yeah - nice to get the chase done," Marsh concluded.
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