PAKISTAN VS AUSTRALIA 2018

Yoga has changed my life - Mitchell Marsh

by Gaurav Joshi • Published on

"My biggest lesson has been to stay in the present" © Getty

You missed out with the bat in Dubai - how is the preparation and the mindset heading into the second Test?

Every time you miss out with the bat, you are disappointed, but in cricket failures do happen and you need to move on as quickly as possible. The good part was that the team came away with a draw, so I'm looking at it as another opportunity to help us win the series and that is how I see it. For me personally, last week has gone and I keep striving to get better and hopefully have a good week ahead.

You batted at No.4 in the first Test, ideally, do you think No.5 is perhaps the best spot for you?

Yes, I mean I've got an opportunity at No.4 now, whether I bat at No.4 in this Test match, they might split up the debutants. I will bat anywhere, but as a batter you want to bat as high as you can and get stuck in as quickly as you can. I bat No.4 for Western Australia in all formats and love that so, hopefully, I can seize on this chance.

Where is Mitch Marsh's career in terms of scaling the peaks?

I don't necessarily think along the lines of whether my career is going to peak and how everything is going to happen. What cricket has taught me over time is to stay in the present. I wake up every day trying to get better and prepare as well as I can for the games. I know if I tick those boxes then - I know I have the game to score big runs for a long period of time and the rest takes care of itself. My biggest lesson has been to stay in the present.

Do you feel you are better prepared now leading into matches?

Yes, I have come a long way in that sense. Eighteen months ago, I had no routine in between balls. I used to think a lot between balls and that was part of my mental game I really needed to improve. I feel that is where I have made my biggest strides in batting sense. Now, I'm more consistent than I have ever been in my preparations. The format doesn't really matter. From a mental perspective, you need to play more shots in limited overs cricket, but my routine remains the same and that has helped me remain consistent.

You mentioned you had no routine in between balls - can you elaborate?

I used to try to think even in between balls when I batted. Obviously, you concentrate as the ball is delivered, but as long as I bat I used to think about the next ball. Now I have a routine where I can zone off after the ball has been bowled and letting my thoughts go. There are always people in the crowd you can look at that are just one of the things I do. It helps me remain more focused for a longer period of time when I'm batting.

Do you practice it in the nets?

Yes, absolutely. I think about fishing in the nets or let my mind drift and then go back to concentrating on the ball that is coming towards me. It is something that all great batters in the past have talked about - being able to switch off between balls, Greg Chappell talks about it, Justin Langer talks about it. So it is really important for me to practice that at training and then take it out to the game.

You mentioned fishing, is that how you like to relax?

Yes, lots of fishing back home. On tour, my guitar comes with me. I play a lot of guitar in my room, I love my music, so I like to learn new tunes - nowadays I've started practicing a lot of yoga.

Yoga?

I actually started going with Cam Bancroft. I train with him every day at Western Australia, I wanted to do something with him during his time off - yoga has changed my life really. It's the best thing I've done. I think it has really helped me in my cricket and helped my ability to move on the field. Hopefully, I will keep getting better.

In the last 18 months, how much time have you spent improving your game against spin bowling?

My batting coach back home, Scott Meuleman, has had a massive influence on my cricket and my life really. We practice spin bowling in every net session now, which is something we don't necessarily do a lot in Australia because we don't face a lot of it. The ball doesn't turn a lot back home, so it's easier to play spin bowling in Australia. I have really focused a lot on my footwork against spin and also to score in different areas, hopefully, that will help me in the shorter formats as well. I know that is the area I need to improve and get better. Meuleman has had a big impact on me playing spin and how I go about it.

Is it early days for Justin Langer, as a coach - what is the difference between his style and that of Darren Lehmann?

They are totally different characters. Boof [Lehmann] was really laid back - Aussie bloke that really loved his players, he will do anything for us. JL is also laid back himself, but at the same time is intense and really wants to get the best out of his players every session. He wants us to train extremely hard and ensure we can be as well prepared as we can be - that is not to say Boof didn't want that. Boof has been one of my favourite coaches of all time, I absolutely love him - they are different in their own ways. JL [Langer] hasn't been around for that long, so I guess, time will tell.

Where is your bowling at the moment?

From my bowling point of view, I feel really fit, these conditions are probably not prone to my style of bowling, but I've got a job to do and I can tie up an end. Ultimately, I'm working towards becoming a genuine all-rounder who can bowl 20 overs in a day if required.

Shane Watson was another all-rounder who had plenty of injuries, but then altered his training methods later in the career - have you changed your methods?

From my physical perspective, I have got a lot of growth left on my body. I can still get a lot fitter, a bit leaner to make sure I'm moving well, but yoga has been great for me personally. It's great for me mentally, meditation has been great as well - it's something if you would have asked me 12 months ago - I would have told you to go get stuffed.

Finally, how important are the next 12 months for you as individuals and as a team?

We have spoken about it as a team. Every series we play for Australian is big. You try not to think about it too much, but there is a bit of excitement coming up against the best team in the world this summer. Hopefully, Australians get right behind us and we are going to need them.

© Cricbuzz

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