Mitchell Marsh insists skipping IPL will help his Test career

An unwavering Mitchell Marsh, the Australian allrounder, believes skipping the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) will be beneficial and enhance his Test career.

The 26-year-old was signed for $1 million (INR. 4.8 crore) by Rising Pune Supergiant in the IPL auction last year but will skip it to play in County cricket for Sussex under former Australian batting coach Michael Di Venuto. Marsh admitted it was a tough decision but hoped playing more long-form cricket would aid his emerging Test career with Australia to tour the UK for an Ashes campaign in 2019.

"It was a fairly big decision from a money point of view but my ultimate goal is to play Test match cricket for Australia," Marsh told reporters in Sydney on Monday (January 1). "That's the lure of the IPL - the money and playing in India, but I made the decision based on my cricket. When I made that decision I didn't really think I was going to be back there this quickly. But I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to play 14 red-ball games over there - if I can, and try and improve.

"Looking forward we've got a lot of cricket coming up in England over the next few years and I want to give myself the best opportunity to be over there and get used to the conditions," he added. "I certainly understood that (I needed to adapt better) when we went there for the Ashes a couple of years ago. Paying in their conditions for a whole summer, I'll get flat wickets, I'll get wickets that seam and swing."

After struggling to establish himself in Australia's Test team, Marsh has made a successful comeback with a maiden Test century in the third Ashes Test followed by a dogged unbeaten 29 from 166 balls to help the hosts defy England on the final day of the Boxing Day Test.

Marsh, an innately powerful batsman, said he was proud of his stonewalling effort. "I said to him (Australian captain Steven Smith) as we were walking off that I was proud," he said. "Probably the biggest thing I was most happy about is that 12 months ago with my mental side of my game I probably don't think I could have got through that.

"I think I've said it for a couple of weeks now, I've been a lot more relaxed with this preparation when I came back to the Test team," he added. "I knew the game plan I'd have to go out there with and it was about sticking to that for as long as we needed to get the draw."