Australia captain Mitchell Marsh fires warning to India after defeat to Afghanistan: ‘…no better team to do it against’

Australia skipper Mitchell Marsh has issued a stern warning to the Indian team as the 2021 champions sit on the brink of elimination after suffering a defeat to Afghanistan. Australia are now in a tricky position as they must register a win against title-favourites India to make a case for the semifinals.

Australia suffered a stunning defeat to Rashid Khan and Co. as they failed to chase a moderate 149-run target on a two-paced Kingstown surface. The Afghans produced a spirited performance and took revenge for their 2023 ODI World Cup's heartbreaking defeat to Australia. Unlike last time, the Afghans held their nerves this time and dismissed old nemesis Glenn Maxwell for 59, which shifted the momentum completely in their favour.

Meanwhile, Aussie skipper Marsh stated that the situation is crystal clear for them: beating India at any cost.

"First and foremost, it becomes clear for us. We need to win, and no better team to do it against. Full credit to Afghanistan for tonight, and we move on quickly," Marsh said in the post-match presentation.

Talking about the defeat, Marsh made an honest admission that they were outplayed by Afghanistan who played a good game of cricket to earn two crucial points.

"They got 20 too many. And to be honest, they played a really good game of cricket. We were outplayed tonight," Marsh added.

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Marsh didn't make any excuse about the pitch and said both teams played on the same surface. He further admitted that Australia had an off-night on the field as they dropped some catches while a couple of misfields led to boundaries.

The fumbles eventually came back to haunt Australia as a couple of errors in the field allowed Afghanistan to put 148/6 on the board.

"We did think about it. A lot of teams have bowled first at this World Cup to get an idea of the surface. Don't think we lost at the toss. It was an off-night for us in the field, and we own that. We'll be back next game. It wasn't an easy wicket, but both teams played on this surface," Marsh concluded.