CHENNAI (Reuters) – Mitchell Marsh has no illusions about his popularity back home and the Australia all-rounder’s detractors will have more ammunition after his clanger in Sunday’s World Cup opener against India.
Four years after famously lamenting “Most of Australia hate me”, the 31-year-old appeared to have endeared himself with the Australian fans with his red-hot recent form.
He was even tipped to be a permanent Australia captain after impressing in that role on their white-ball tour of South Africa last month.
Expectations were naturally high heading into the match against World Cup hosts India but everything that could go wrong did so for him at the M A Chidambaram Stadium.
Marsh was the first Australian wicket to fall after a six-ball duck with Kohli diving to his left to pouch a sharp catch at slip after the opener had edged Jasprit Bumrah.
Bundled out for a below-par 199, Australia refused to throw in the towel with Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood breathing fire from both ends.
For the first time in an ODI, three of India’s top four batters fell for a duck, and Hazlewood was not done yet.
Kohli was on 12 when he mistimed his pull shot and the ball ballooned up, much to the horror of most of the 33,000-plus fans at the venue.
From the leg side, Marsh sprinted, his eyes fixed on the descending ball, but by the time he reached it, he was distracted by wicketkeeper Alex Carey who was approaching from the other side and spilled the chance.
A relieved Kohli went on to make 85, forging a match-winning 165-run partnership with KL Rahul who made 97 not out.
Hazlewood said Marsh did the right thing by going for the catch.
“I think it was Mitch’s catch and probably just Carey got quite close in the end so it might have just put Mitch off,” he said.
“It’s one of those things that happens and everyone’s training hard and working hard off the field to hang on to them.”
The costly mistake inspired memes on social media but Australia captain Pat Cummins backed his team mates.
“I’ve already forgotten about it,” Cummins said after India won by six wickets with 52 balls remaining.
“It’s not ideal, especially someone of his (Kohli’s) calibre, but it happens.
“It would have been a dream start but it was not to be.”
Five-times champions Australia face South Africa on Thursday.
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Ed Osmond)
