‘Test yourself against the best’: Mitchell Marsh opens up on Australia’s plans to contain Abhishek Sharma

Mitchell Marsh opens up on Australia’s plans to contain Abhishek Sharma. (AP Photo)

In the forthcoming T20I series against India, Australia skipper Mitchell Marsh has stated that his team is prepared to be put to the test by Abhishek Sharma's aggressive batting. A five-match Twenty20 International series between the two countries is scheduled to start in Canberra on October 29.

Marsh commended Abhishek Sharma for his outstanding ascent in international cricket ahead of the series. He admitted that they anticipate being put to the test by Abhishek and that he will be a significant challenge.

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“Abhishek is such an incredible talent, he sets the tone for them and has been outstanding for Sunrisers. He’ll definitely be a challenge for us, but that’s what you want — to test yourself against the best players in the world. We’re looking forward to that,” said Marsh in the pre-match press conference.

Abhishek's T20I career is off to a fantastic start as he has amassed 849 runs from 23 innings at an average of 36.91, including two hundreds and five fifties. With 926 rating points, he is currently the world's top-ranked T20I batter.

Josh Inglis' availability for the India series was also confirmed by Marsh. A calf strain kept Inglis out of Australia's three-match Twenty20 International series of New Zealand earlier this month.

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"Yep, Inglis is fit and available. We’re obviously wrapped to have him back, he’s a very important player for us. I’d say he’ll bat at four. There’s one player we’ll follow up on, but yeah, he’s ready to go," said Marsh.

With 20 victories from 32 games, India has the advantage over Australia in Twenty20 Internationals. However, the Men in Blue have also defeated them in their most recent match in the 2024 T20 World Cup as well as in the last three consecutive T20I series.