Marsh raring to answer captain's call with bat and ball

Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh is aware that he's no Jacques Kallis but would like to bat well and contribute to the team's win in the World Twenty20, something the legendary South African is known for.

"I'm certainly no Kallis...I still see myself as a batting all-rounder. My bowling has obviously improved a lot and I'm very satisfied that I've been able to work extremely hard to get my bowling to a point where the captain can call on me to get a wicket or tie up an end. I love to contribute whenever the captain needs me," Marsh said at a media interaction in Kolkata on Saturday.

Marsh further said responsibility of being an all-rounder playing all three formats is very challenging as he has played all in the last 18 months for the Aussies.

"The most challenging part is to keep yourself on the park. And I've been able to do that which is great. In the process, I have learnt a lot about my body, how it works, what doesn't. And most important is that I've learnt the game a bit and gained a lot of confidence from playing a lot of cricket over the last few months. And hopefully that'll continue."

Marsh further said their IPL experience would come in handy in the tournament.

"Certainly, we feel very lucky that we get to spend a lot of time in India now through the IPL, and through playing a lot against India. Biggest thing for us is that every single one of our players has played here now and at some stage has had success as individuals.

"People talk about us not being good in Indian conditions but we certainly have had a lot of individual success. Certainly come here with a lot of confidence but we know it is going to be hard work."

The Australians enjoyed a 2-1 series win over the Proteas in the recently-concluded series in the African nation, a buildup to the World Twenty20, but Marsh said it's in the past now as they train their eyes on their first match against New Zealand in Dharamsala on March 18.

"It was nice to play and win that series but really, it counts for nothing now. We've moved on. It's now all about first game versus New Zealand and preparation starts tomorrow (Sunday) in the warm-up against West Indies."