Marsh looks to IPL to gain local knowledge

Mitch Marsh says experience on the subcontinent and his improved fitness are the two factors behind his decision to take part in this year's Indian Premier League.

Marsh opted out of the lucrative T20 tournament in 2014 and 2015 to concentrate on his burgeoning international career, but made himself available ahead of the recent IPL auction and was duly snapped up for US$1million by new franchise Rising Pune Supergiants.

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The West Australian has past experience in the T20 competition, having played 14 matches for the previous incarnation of the Pune franchise in 2013, and three times for the now-defunct Deccan Chargers in 2011.

Despite a breakthrough maiden ODI hundred in Sydney last month, a match-winning knock against New Zealand soon after, and excellent form with the ball across Tests and ODIs, Marsh is yet to truly cement his spot in all three formats.

At Test level, the 24-year-old has struggled to find form with the bat in the eight consecutive matches he has played since his return to the side in the final Ashes contest, scoring 112 runs across 10 innings with an average of 14 and a top score of 34.

With the ball through the same period, he's taken 20 wickets at 26.

Now, with an eye on Australia's Test match schedule over the coming 12 months, the allrounder sees the chance to hone his craft on the subcontinent as too valuable to pass up.

"With the Test tours we've got coming up, Sri Lanka later this year and India next year, it's probably not such a bad thing to see a few of the wickets (in the IPL)," Marsh told AAP.

"Certainly I will look at that (playing county cricket in the future instead of the IPL).

"It's a good opportunity to go over this year but beyond that we'll see what happens."

Fitness too, has played a big part in his decision. Marsh had recurring problems with both of his hamstrings in the early stage of his international career, but is now coming off a year of injury-free cricket.

"That did (help Marsh decide to nominate for the IPL auction)," he said. "We've still got seven weeks of cricket to go until the IPL starts so you never know (in terms of injury) – touch wood.

"But I'll do everything I can to keep the body in good shape. Over the last 18 months or so I've really found out what works for me and what doesn't."

Marsh takes his fitness guidance from Cricket Australia gurus Alex Kountouris and David Beakley.

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"They look after me extremely well," he said. "The hardest thing is probably to not over-train. I like to hit a lot of balls in the nets and as a bowler you don't like leaving training until you're feeling good.

"It is a hard balance to find. I'm playing a lot more.

"It's helped that my body is just getting used to the rigours of international cricket and playing all the time."

As for the IPL, Marsh is taking the same approach he did on the date of the auction, when he scored an unbeaten 69 to deliver Australia an ODI win in Wellington moments after being told he'd been sold for $1 million.

"I blocked it out then and that's pretty much what I'll keep doing," he said. "It's exciting to be joining Pune but I won't be thinking about it until I'm actually there.

"We've got a lot of very important international cricket coming up."