Pant is getting better as a skipper: Mitchell Marsh

Rishabh Pant has been the talk of the IPL for multiple reasons - his price tag, his batting, his batting position, and above all, his captaincy. Mitchell Marsh (33), a veteran of over 200 international matches across formats, has given a thumbs-up to Pant's leadership. "He is a good leader," says the Australian all-rounder, who has also played under Pant at Delhi Capitals. "Look, I think he's really growing into a role and he's still reasonably young, but, yeah, he's a good leader. Additionally, he is, indeed, only getting better. So (I'm) looking forward to hopefully playing under him for a while," Marsh, himself a former captain of his national team, is currently in Mumbai with the Lucknow Super Giants and answered a few queries ahead of their match against the Mumbai Indians. Marsh has scored 344 runs in eight matches at an impressive average of 43, but his contribution to the team has so far been only as a batter - specifically as an opener - with the team management using him as an Impact Player. But Marsh says he might also help with the ball. "It's a different experience (going only as a batter), that's for sure. Marsh remarks, "I feel like a baseball player." "It has been very entertaining. Also, I'm up for the job whenever they need me on the field or when my bowling comes back. Therefore, the dream will end. In the IPL, Marsh has taken 37 wickets at an economy rate of 8.52 and an average of 21.49. In fact, he has bowled over 90 overs across 50 matches in his nine IPL seasons. In those 204 games, he also has 125 international wickets. Marsh has represented six different franchises across nine IPL seasons - Deccan Chargers, Pune Warriors, Rising Pune Supergiant, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Delhi Capitals - before joining LSG this season. He claims to be enjoying the atmosphere at the franchise owned by Sanjiv Goenka. "I think I've really enjoyed it so far. New team, new people, and I'm just going to try to help where I can. Additionally, we are clearly in a good position right now (sixth place with 10 points from nine games). It's such fair and tough competition. So it's hard to win every game, but we know we can really push for the semifinals (playoffs) with a few wins. "Every time you play for a different team, it's always a new experience, new people. The team is managed in a different way. But, yes, this is a very close group, and we have some wonderful people here, which is more important to me than cricket. So, yeah, it's been a real pleasure to be a part of it and hopefully we can keep winning." Additionally, he believes that participating in the IPL is comparable to participating in international cricket because of the numerous difficulties associated with playing in various conditions. "I think it's always a challenge and something that we experience playing international cricket. You play in different countries, different wickets, you know, different conditions all the time. As a result, "it's just about preparing as well as you can, adapting to the circumstances, and contributing to wins," he concludes.