Marcus Harris has made it clear that he is ready to step up if asked to open the batting in the much-anticipated opener of the five-match Test series against India in Perth, starting November 22. His bold statement came after proving himself. during a challenging innings for Australia A.

The 32-year-old showed 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 opening role against India after strong knock for Australia A

Marcus Harris’ composed innings on a challenging pitch at the MCG impressed everyone. Australia A’s next highest score was 35 by lower-order batsman Corey Rocchiccioli, while the other batsmen fell narrowly against India A. Harris single-handedly took Australia A to 223 runs on the board in his first innings in the second unofficial ongoing. 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 place 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 expected to be named in an expanded 13-member squad, which would include an extra batsman 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 worth in challenging MCG pitch

However, Marcus Harris remains suspended despite receiving some communication from the Australian selectors about his possible role in the Test team. But the Australian has declared himself well prepared to take on the challenge if given the nod in the much-awaited first match of the Test series.

Marcus Harris was quoted by ESPNCricinfo: “I don’t know, it’s a good question. I think externally, obviously, this game was developing a lot, which is fair enough. I feel like I’ve been hitting well, but so have a lot of other people. So if they call me, I feel like I’m ready to do it, and if I don’t, so be it. “I feel pretty well equipped.”

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Harris further noted: “I think maybe if I had been in this position 12 months ago, I probably wouldn’t have been able to perform like I did at the start of this season. My results from last year probably said that. So I’m proud of that. They just said I’ll start in the first game and we’re not really sure what will happen with the second game. So, I don’t know if that was the plan.”

Harris explains why he is unsure of his batting position

The Australian opener mentioned that the second four-day match offered some clues about the selectors’ plans, but he does not want to read too much into the selection signals, given his previous 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 game in Canberra and they chose Renners. [Matt Renshaw] who was batting at three. So yeah, I don’t know.”