"I am absolutely happy to bat at 3 - you actually feel like an opener anyway" - Cameron Green on his batting position with MI
Mumbai Indians (MI) all-rounder Cameron Green has had a sedate start to his Indian Premier League (IPL) career so far. After being roped in by the five-time winners at the 2023 mini-auction for ₹17.50 crore, he has scored 17 runs and has taken one wicket in two matches so far.
His struggles mirror that of his franchise, who have begun the tournament yet again with a string of losses. MI struggled against both the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as well as the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and remain one of the two teams who are yet to register a win in IPL 2023 alongside Delhi Capitals (DC).
Ahead of Tuesday's contest against DC at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Green stated that he is happy to bat anywhere in the batting order. The all-rounder told CricketNext during the pre-match press conference:
"I’m absolutely happy to bat wherever the coach wants me to. I am absolutely happy to bat at three - you actually feel like an opener anyway. You have the same intent than probably when opening the bat and when coming at no. 3. So absolutely no stress with batting wherever."
Green's best performances with the bat in his short T20 career have come when he has opened the innings. The all-rounder famously scored an explosive half-century for Australia during his T20I debut against India at Mohali in September 2022.
Apart from his batting ability, MI will also be hoping to make the most of his right-arm seam bowling, which has yielded one wicket in five overs so far.
Admitting the stark difference in conditions when compared to Australia, Green said when asked about his bowling:
"Bowling from Australia to India is completely different, you are playing on different wickets. The boundaries are different, the ball does different things off the wicket. So trying to learn things over here."
"Obviously whenever Sachin talks you listen" - Cameron Green
The fact that Green has received a lucrative IPL contract and is close to becoming an all-format player for Australia makes one forget that he is only 23 years old. Apart from having great exposure against top-quality international players, the tournament is also an excellent learning avenue for the youngster.
Recalling his interactions with MI's mentor Sachin Tendulkar so far, Green said:
“Obviously whenever Sachin talks you listen. He was talking about may be in red ball cricket the bat is slightly closed face to keep balls on ground but in white ball potentially opening up the face of the bat helps you to access balls on the off side and may be the trajectory as well. So that was the talk."
The winners of tonight's MI-DC contest will open their accounts in IPL 2023 after a slow start.