Before the KKR match, Tom Moody says Mitchell Marsh should open for David Warner since “IPL 2023 may not be Prithvi Shaw’s year.”

In the present Indian Premier League (IPL), former Australian batter Tom Moody advised the Delhi Capitals (DC) to make a difficult decision by benching opener Prithvi Shaw. Before DC’s match against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on April 20, Moody advised Mitchell Marsh to open with David Warner rather than Shaw. Shaw has only scored 34 runs, including two ducks, in DC’s five games.

Tom Moody thinks Shaw’s IPL 2023 season won’t be his because he hasn’t yet had a significant influence. He said that the team’s prospects of remaining in the league would end if the franchise gave him a few more games, and that DC must take action to stop this from happening.

“You need to make a harsh decision regarding a few guys who don’t appear to be improving. And based on what we’ve seen thus far with Prithvi Shaw, it’s possible that he won’t have the influence on the IPL in 2023 that we all anticipated,” Moody told ESPNcricinfo.

“It may be as simple as saying, ‘Oh, we’ll give him a couple more games and see what happens. If those two games don’t turn out, your franchise’s hopes are gone. You have to decide at that time, and it has to be a really difficult decision. It’s critical now, he continued.

Marsh, who by nature is an enforcer, would go well with Warner. Tom Moody
According to Moody, Marsh, who has been batting at number three for Delhi Capitals, is a natural enforcer. Marsh will be able to support Warner at the top of the order, he continued. Axar Patel has the ability to make an impact in the middle of the order; therefore, Moody also wants him to bat at number five.

“He (Marsh) has recently attempted that and been successful. Since he is a natural enforcer, that would support [David] Warner and benefit him as well. It is challenging to bowl to a batter who is 6 feet 4 inches and 5 feet 8 inches tall, according to Moody.