'Didn't your father ever teach you…': Mitchell Marsh, Sunil Gavaskar engaged in hilarious conversation

Five-time World champions Australia finally got off the mark as they secured their first victory in the 2023 World Cup when they beat Sri Lanka by five wickets. The Australian bowlers bounced back in some style to restrict Sri Lanka to 209 after their openers had taken them to 125/0 at one stage.

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In response, Mitchell Marsh took off and played a key role in putting Australia’s chase on track. The right hander smashed a half century off just 39 balls. His aggressive innings, the first half-century for Australia in this World Cup, was key in stabilising the innings. David Warner and Steve Smith were dismissed early and Marsh was the key when the scorecard read 24/2.

Following the match, Mitchell Marsh engaged in an enjoyable conversation with former India captain Sunil Gavaskar as they discussed his batting approach. It was noted that Marsh’s approach to batting is notably different from that of his father, Geoff Marsh, who maintained a strike rate of 55.33 across 117 ODIs. As opposed to his old man, Mitchell’s strike rate stands at an impressive 93.85.

“Didn’t your father ever teach you to play like this? (gestures with a defensive shot) Because all you’re doing is BANG, BANG, BANG,” said Gavaskar after the match. He, however, quickly received a hilarious reply from Marsh who said, “I’m just making up for his poor strike-rates!”

This victory against Sri Lanka was a much-needed boost for Australia, and the side would now be keen to gain momentum and be in contention to secure a place in the World Cup semifinals. Should they reach that stage and go all the way, Mitchell Marsh and Geoff Marsh would become the first father-son duo to win a World Cup.

Geoff Marsh had claimed victory in the 1987 edition in India and then went on to coach Australia to a World Cup win in 1999.