Back from injury,Marsh hopes to shine

Kings XI Punjab finally notched up their first win of the season in the Super Over against the Chennai Super Kings on Sunday.

Kings XI Punjab finally notched up their first win of the season in the Super Over against the Chennai Super Kings on Sunday. And with star opener Shaun Marsh joining the squad,the Mohali team have another reason to believe they have turned the corner.

The 26-year-old from Western Australia burst onto the scene in the inaugural season of the IPL,emerging as the highest scorer in the tournament with 616 runs and playing a crucial role in taking his team to the semi-final.

He missed out the second season due to his commitments with the national team and a hamstring injury. This year,too,Marshs fitness woes have continued as he suffered back spasms ahead of the third Australia-West Indies ODI last month.

Story continues below this ad

It was unfortunate I missed out the action last year. The back spasm meant I was out from the first few games this year too. But I have recovered from the injury and I want to repeat what I did in the first edition of IPL, said Marsh.

Kevin Sims,Australian physiotherapist,has given me the go-ahead and I am looking forward to perform better this time.

The left-handed batsman,nicknamed SOS by his team mates,also believes that it is easier playing IPL than international cricket,and hopes he will get into the rhythm soon.

IPL is a bit relaxed than ODIs or Tests and it will be easy for me after the injury. We have a new captain in Kumar Sangakkara and I am looking forward to playing under him. He is a very intelligent player and interacts a lot with fellow players. I hope we will win more matches soon, he said.

Story continues below this ad

The league also fast-tracked his career,earning a national call-up after the first season. I was nobody when I was signed but a fine performance in IPL meant I was picked for the Australian team. It boosted my confidence a lot, said Marsh.