BGT 2024-25: Mitchell Marsh Confirms Fitness Ahead of Adelaide Test

Adelaide, Dec 2 (NationPress) Australia’s seam-bowling all-rounder Mitch Marsh stated he is fully fit for the second pink-ball Test against India, which will kick off at the Adelaide Oval on December 6. Marsh experienced some discomfort after delivering 19.3 overs in the Perth Test, where Australia suffered a significant loss to India by 295 runs.

In response, Australia has included uncapped all-rounder Beau Webster in the squad as a precautionary measure for Marsh. Webster practiced alongside Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Travis Head, and Alex Carey during the Adelaide Oval nets on Monday afternoon (local time).

“The body’s all good, yep. Nah nah, I’m good to go. Yep, I’ll be there,” Marsh expressed in an interview with Channel Nine after arriving in Adelaide on Monday night. Since rejoining the Test team with a century at Leeds during last year’s Ashes series, Marsh has accumulated 803 runs at an average of 44.61 over 11 matches.

If Marsh secures his place in the playing eleven for the Adelaide Test, Australia will need to choose between Webster and Scott Boland to fill in for the injured Josh Hazlewood.

Australia is currently on a five-Test winning streak in Adelaide, with their last defeat at this venue occurring in the 2018/19 season against India. Additionally, they have achieved seven victories in seven day-night Tests played in Adelaide. However, they lost their most recent day-night Test by eight runs to the West Indies in January 2024 at Brisbane, ending a remarkable streak of 11 consecutive wins in this format.

On the flip side, India has triumphed in three of their four day-night Test matches, with their latest appearance resulting in a victory over Sri Lanka in Bengaluru in March 2022. Their sole defeat in day-night Tests was against Australia at the Adelaide Oval in December 2020, when Hazlewood's stunning figures of 5-8 led to their collapse for just 36 runs in the second innings.