Mitch Marsh is huge and is six-hitting his way to new heights

Can't get better than this
Can't get better than this....

The extended mix of John Summit and Parachute Youth's single Better than this plays in the background at the Chepauk nets during Australia's practice session on Friday afternoon as Mitchell Marsh nails a lofted straight drive off head coach Andrew McDonald's throwdown.

Rain had delayed the start of Australia's training session, but once the weather cleared in Chennai, Marsh got cracking immediately at the nets along with David Warner. Sure, it was just a routine practice session, but this version of Marsh has the clarity and ability to go - and go hard - from ball one across conditions, particularly in white-ball cricket. This is the best version of Marsh so much that Australia has warmed up to him and even fallen in love with him after he had earlier been a lightning rod for criticism. Marsh had also recently captained Australia during their white-ball tour of South Africa and could well be the frontrunner for the role on a permanent basis leading into next year's T20 World Cup.

And in this ODI World Cup, he is among the first names on Australia's team sheet. With or without Travis Head, his imposing presence at the top of the order will be central to Australia's success in the tournament. He has also resumed bowling, in the lead-up to the World Cup, which provides Australia's attack greater balance.

The last time Australia faced India at Chepauk, in March earlier this year, Marsh, the opener, hit a run-a-ball 47 to set up a memorable victory for his side and snap India's four-year unbeaten streak at home in ODI cricket. Marsh had started that series as an opener only because Warner was injured. Marsh was so brutal with the bat in the first two matches that even when Warner was back for the decider, Australia's team management decided to keep Marsh at the top and demote Warner to No.4.

So, what makes Marsh brutal? His explosive power and clear thinking. Okay, Marsh has always had that natural ball-striking ability but has now stopped worrying about proving people wrong and has shifted his focus towards maximising his strengths: hitting sixes. Free off all the burdens, he has pumped 22 sixes in ten innings in ODI cricket this year. Among players participating in this World Cup, only Rohit Sharma (36), Shubman Gill (29) and Heinrich Klaasen (25) have struck more sixes than Marsh in ODIs this year.

Captain Pat Cummins spoke glowingly of Marsh's six-hitting on Saturday. "I mean first of all his size is huge and he's always been a power-hitter," Cummins said. "I think that's kind of his most natural trait as a batter. He's super powerful and can clear the ropes easily.

"He had an amazing [T20] World Cup in 2021 and over the last couple of years, he's had a few injuries along the way. But when he has played, he's been top quality, so he's one of those guys who is intimidating to bowl to. At the top of the mark, you look at him at the other end, you know he can hit the ball a long way. Hopefully, we will see plenty of that in this series."

When headline-hungry journalists pressed Cummins further for "spicy quotes" he responded: "Mitchell Marsh is huge! There's your headline".

Seven months on from that bilateral series decider at Chepauk, Marsh will headline Australia's batting along with Warner against India in the World Cup at the same venue. With Head still on the sidelines, Marsh could continue to open with Warner for the first half of the tournament. Marsh's sample size as an opener is fairly small - he has only batted at the top in six innings as opposed to batting at No.5 or No.6 in 50 innings in ODs - but the numbers there are particularly impressive. Three hundred and seventy eight runs, including 21 sixes, at an average of over 75 and strike rate of 125.

Marsh relishes pace on the ball and can damage oppositions in the powerplay even on challenging pitches like he demonstrated against India at the Wankhede earlier this year. His game against spin is still a work in progress, but he has learnt to put his ego away, play the slower bowlers out and then line up the quicks.

In the 2021 T20 World Cup final against New Zealand in Dubai, Marsh, who batted at No.3, saw off New Zealand's premier spinner Mitchell Santner and went after their fastest bowler on the night: Adam Milne. Marsh also targetted legspinner Ish Sodhi, but he did so while sticking to his strengths: hitting down the ground and over midwicket. That Player-of-the-Match performance in the final marked the beginning of a golden run for Marsh across formats. It changed perceptions around him, changed his own mindset, and changed his career altogether.

Marsh is now so confident in his game that he can turn up from a holiday and Bazball Bisonball his way to a 102-ball century, in his first Test match in almost four years. He is now so confident in his game that he can bat anywhere in the line-up and wallop sixes, but Australia need him at the top right now in this ODI World Cup.

That confidence also shone through during his hour-long stint at the nets, two days out of Australia's World Cup opener against India. He then put in a decent shift with the ball to confirm his World Cup readiness. We could see more of the best version of Marsh over the next four weeks.