NEWS
Follow UsMitchell Starc got Australia off to a perfect start by dismissing last match’s centurion Yashasvi Jaiswal off the first delivery of the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Adelaide on December 6 (Friday). The left-arm seamer went on to register his career-best Test figures - 6/48, helping Australia end day one in a commanding position.
Jaiswal got out for a golden duck but KL Rahul and Shubman Gill put on 69 runs for the second wicket to steady the ship for India. The pink ball was doing a lot but Starc admitted that the Australian bowlers were a bit too wide in the first hour or so. They adjusted their line and ended up taking nine wickets for 111 runs. India were eventually bowled out for 180 in 44.1 overs.
“Nice way to start the game. Get one on target and away we go. At the stumps, hit the pads. That’s it. Nothing special. That’s been my role for a while: to attack the stumps and try and make early inroads. Pleased to sneak one past today. We know how important it is to make early inroads into this batting lineup," said Starc.
"I just think it was a good day all around. I think I’ve said it before. I think we were probably a fraction wide in the first hour, which they climbed into a bit. And probably got a few away that we weren’t too happy about.
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“But I think after that first hour, we were pretty bang on with the ball. And then to bowl them out in the way that we did was, was a good start and I think, you know in testing times, with the sort of, under lights with the new pink ball and with a good attack, I think our top three were fantastic tonight.”
India were also dismissed for 150 in the first innings of the first Test but the Australian batters threw away the advantage by getting bowled out for 104. However, they didn’t make the same mistake this time around. Usman Khawaja fell to Jasprit Bumrah but Nathan McSweeney (38* off 97) and Marnus Labuschagne (20* off 67) have added 62 runs since then, with Australia now trailing by just 94 runs.
Labuschagne hasn’t been in great form of late but Starc offered his support to the No.3 batter. “Yeah, he (Marnus) has hit 1000 balls. I think he has had it. It sounds like he’s had a hit everyday since the Perth Test. So no, fantastic for the boys, I think certainly a lot of outside noise, but for them to fight the way they did in the last session. Arguably, the toughest session of pink ball cricket is that last session with, you know, a quality bowling attack with the new pink ball. So fantastic to see and hopefully they can go on tomorrow.”
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