Marcus Harris has made it clear that he is ready to step up if he is asked to open the batting in the much-awaited five-match Test series opener against India in Perth, starting on November 22. His bold declaration came after proving his mettle during a challenging innings for Australia A.
The 32-year-old showcased his 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 set for Test opener role against India after gritty knock for Australia A
Marcus Harris’ composed innings on a challenging pitch at the MCG impressed everyone. The next highest score from Australia A was 35 from the lower-order batter Corey Rocchiccioli, while the other batters fell cheaply against India A. Harris single-handedly took Australia A to 223 runs on the board 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 play at the MCG but is yet to reveal who will secure a spot in the Test squad for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against India, the defending champions of the prestigious trophy.
However, Marcus Harris and Nathan McSweeney are widely expected to be named in an expanded 13-member squad, which would include an extra batter and bowler as options for the start of the upcoming five-match Test series, which is part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC).
Australian selectors impressed as Marcus Harris proves his mettle in challenging MCG pitch
However, Marcus Harris remains grounded despite receiving some communication from the Australian selectors regarding his potential role in the Test squad. But the Aussie has declared himself well-prepared to take on the challenge if given the nod in the highly anticipated Test series opener.
Marcus Harris was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo: “I don’t know, it’s a good question. I think, externally obviously this game was getting built up a lot, which is fair enough. I feel like I’ve been batting well, but so have lots of other people. So, if I get called upon, I feel like I’m ready to go, and if I don’t, then so be it. I feel pretty well-equipped.”
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Harris further noted, “I think maybe if I was in this position 12 months ago, I probably wouldn’t have been able to perform the way I have at the start of this season. My results last year probably said that. So, I’ve been proud of that. They just said that I’ll open in the first game and we’re not really sure what’s going to happen with the second game. So, I don’t know if that was the plan.”
Harris explains why he’s uncertain about his batting position
The Australian opener mentioned that the second four-day game offered some hints about the selectors’ plans, but he doesn’t want to read too much into selection signals, given his prior experiences with Australia A and the Prime Minister’s XI.
Harris signed off by saying, “It was probably pretty obvious what was happening. You’d have to ask them, to be honest. You never know. Like last year, for example, we had the bat-off in Canberra, and they picked Renners [Matt Renshaw] who was batting at three. So, yeah, I don’t know.”
