Marcus Harris has made it clear that he is ready to step up if asked to open the batting in the opener of the much-anticipated five-match Test series against India in Perth on November 22. His bold statement came after proving his mettle. A during a difficult innings for Australia.
The 32-year-old showed resilience under pressure with a crucial 74-run knock for Australia A against India A in the second four-day game at the MCG, where other Test hopefuls struggled to make an impact.
Marcus Harris took part in the Test opener against India after a strong knock for Australia A
The innings Marcus Harris composed on a tough pitch at the MCG left everyone in awe. The next highest score from Australia A was 35 from lower-order batsman Corey Rocchiccioli, while other innings fell cheaply against India A. Harris single-handedly led Australia A to 223 runs in their first innings in the ongoing second unofficial. Test match at the MCG.
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Meanwhile, Australia’s chairman of selectors George Bailey was also watching the game at the MCG but is yet to announce whether he will secure a place in the Test squad for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against India. prestigious trophy.
However, Marcus Harris and Nathan McSweeney are expected to be named in the expanded 13-man squad, which includes an additional batter and mudguard as options for the start of the upcoming five-match Test series that is part of the ICC World. Test Championship (WTC).
Australian selectors were impressed with Marcus Harris proving his mettle on the tough MCG pitch.
However, Marcus Harris remains grounded despite receiving some input from Australian selectors about his potential role in the Test squad. But the Aussie has declared he is well prepared to take on the challenge if he takes the nod in the much-anticipated Test series opener.
Marcus Harris was quoted by ESPNCricinfo as saying: “I don’t know, good question. I think from the outside there was obviously a lot of build up to this game, which is fair enough. I feel like I shoot well, but so do a lot of other people. So if they call me, I feel like I’m ready to go, if not, so be it. I feel pretty well equipped.”
Harris later remarked: “I think maybe 12 months ago if I was in this position I probably wouldn’t have performed the way I did at the start of this season. My results last year probably said that. So I was proud of it. They just said that I will open in the first game and we are not sure what will happen in the second game. So, I don’t know if this is the plan or not.”
Harris explains why he’s uncertain about his batting position
The Australian opener noted that the second four-day game gave some hints about the selectors’ plans, but he did not want to read too much into the selection signals given his previous experiences with Australia A and the Prime Minister’s XI.
Harris said, “It was probably pretty obvious what was going on. Honestly, you’d have to ask them. You never know. Like last year, for example, we batted in Canberra and they picked Renners (Matt Renshaw) batting at three. So, yeah, I don’t know.”
