Mitch Marsh not about to make the same mistake twice in Gabba showdown with India

Mitch Marsh isn’t about to repeat his Adelaide Oval brain-fade during Australia’s Gabba Test against India.

It might have been funny in Adelaide, but any repeat of all-rounder Mitch Marsh wrongly giving up his wicket won’t be a laughing matter.in Australia’s pivotal Gabba Test against India.

With the five-Test series locked at 1-1 after two games, and India holding the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the Australians can ill-afford to lose the Brisbane battle, which starts on Saturday.

Therefore, the hosts won’t want to gift the tourists any dismissals, as Marsh did at the Adelaide Oval last Saturday.

Australia was 4-208 in its first innings when Marsh, who was on nine, thought he edged a ball from spinner Ravi Ashwin to wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant.

Marsh started to walk, then briefly stopped, but umpire Richard Illingworth, perhaps prompted by the batsman’s decision to head towards the pavilion, was already raising his finger.

It wasn’t until Marsh was back in the change-room that he realised his bat had his pad but had not touched the ball.

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“The reality is I thought I hit it, and I didn’t … I had a `mare’,” he said on Thursday at the Gabba.

“When I got to the change-rooms, they asked if I hit it and I said `yeah I smashed it’.

“Then the replay came up and my head went into the hands, and about one minute later everyone else was laughing at me.”

Marsh at least has the satisfaction of being the only one of Australia’s top seven batsmen yet to be dismissed in the series by star Indian paceman Jasprit Bumrah.

“We know right now he’s probably the best bowler in the world. It’s just about getting up for that challenge,” he said.

“It’s a big series. You want to take the best in the world on. That is certainly my mentality. I look forward to facing him again.

“If you look up and down the lines up of both teams, there are world-class bowlers everywhere.

“As a batter it is about planning as well as you can, and trying to get on top of them.”

Mitch Marsh hopes to shine with the bat at the Gabba. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Those “world-class” bowlers include Australian paceman Josh Hazlewood, who is hoping to prove his fitness this week after missing the Adelaide Test because of a side strain.

“The great thing about Josh is he’s a very level character,” Marsh said.

“He’ll do everything he can to get up for the game, and then it’s up to the leadership group and the selectors to tick that one off.”

Marsh said his own body was “feeling really good” after carrying a back problem into the Adelaide clash.

Such was Australia’s second Test dominance that Marsh only had to bowl four overs.

“I had a sore back, but right now it’s feeling as good as it has felt,” the 33-year-old Perth product said.

“It’s all about getting up in each and every game, and this week is no different.

“Every Test this summer has been well planned, and it’s a lot of credit to our medical staff for maintaining guys.”