Australian captain Mitchell Marsh has sent a strong, no-nonsense message ahead of their massive white-ball tour of India: this isn't a gentle warm-up. He views the highly charged rivalry with India as the ultimate pressure test needed to get his squad battle-hardened for the looming Ashes series against England.
It's a huge schedule. The Australian side is tackling three ODIs followed by five T20Is, starting soon on October 19 in Perth. The whole tour is seen as a vital chance to find form and build momentum after a tough T20 World Cup run. For Mitchell Marsh, facing India right now is just "perfect timing." In an interview with Fox Sports, the Aussie skipper sounded genuinely excited about the challenge, mixing anticipation with serious respect for the opposition.
"We'll have all the guys building towards the Ashes, but everyone loves playing against India. We've got a great rivalry and great respect for them as a team. I think it's literally perfect timing to be playing against India in the lead-up to an Ashes series. It's going to be massive," Mitchell Marsh said.
This dual-format tour puts the Australian squad to the test, as they'll be up against two different Indian leadership groups. The ODI leg kicks off first, with Shubman Gill taking the captaincy role for India. Two Indian cricketing legends, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, will be making a comeback to the Indian side in the ODI series. The matches will be played at Perth Stadium (October 19), Adelaide Oval (October 23) and Sydney Cricket Ground (October 25).
The focus then switches to the five-match T20I series, where Suryakumar Yadav steps up to lead India. This part of the tour starts on October 29 in Canberra and moves across the country, visiting Manuka Oval in Canberra, Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Bellerive Oval in Hobart, Gold Coast Stadium, and The Gabba in Brisbane. Such is the hype of the series that the tickets for the MCG T20I have already sold out.
The T20Is wrap up on November 8, just weeks before the Australians begin their quest to retain the Ashes. Mitchell Marsh clearly believes that surviving the heat of the India rivalry is the best way to get ready for the fire of the Ashes itself.
