Among the many things observers failed to predict correctly about IPL-I was the eventual winner of the ‘Orange Cap,' the award handed out to the tournament's highest run-getter.
Shaun Marsh, then little known outside his native Australia, aggregated 616 runs at 68.44 for Kings XI Punjab to walk away with the honour. The left-hander earned a call-up to the national side weeks after the IPL ended, with the future looking distinctively bright. In the injury-blighted three years that followed, however, Marsh has failed to hold down a regular place in the Australian team, playing only 33 ODIs.
Bumpy ride
“Yeah, my career didn't move along as I'd wished,” he said on Tuesday, addressing a tele-conference. “It has been a bumpy ride these last few years. I had a great first IPL, but I had a few injuries since then.
“It has been frustrating; you can't do much about it, you just try and get your body right. If my body feels right, I'm confident I can perform consistently.”
The 27-year-old said he hoped to perform well in the current season of the IPL and return to the national set-up. “I definitely think it will help if I score a few runs here,” he said. “We'll wait and see.
“It's a dream of mine to also play Tests for Australia. But I can achieve that only by scoring a lot of runs for Western Australia in Shield cricket.
Kings XI Punjab has won two of its opening three matches, and Marsh — repurchased by the franchise at the auction — said there was a “great feel” in and around the team. “We have new players and new coaching staff. It has been good to work with them so far. It's great that I'm here because I always wanted to come back.”
The Marsh family's involvement in the IPL, however, does not end with him. Father Geoff is coach of Pune Warriors, with brother Mitchell also part of that squad. The latter, though, is yet to play a game.
“He's only 19,” he said of his younger sibling. “He has a lot of cricket ahead of him. The IPL is part of a great learning curve. There are a lot of senior guys around. So whether he plays or not, the experience is going to help him advance quicker as a cricketer.”
