Australia’s star pacer Mitchell Starc delivered a memorable performance on the opening day of the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Adelaide, taking 6/48 and setting the tone for Australia’s dominance. His day began with a stunning first-ball dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal, the centurion from the first Test, with an inswinging delivery that left the Indian opener trapped lbw.
Reflecting on his dismissal of Jaiswal, Starc downplayed any intricate planning, saying, “At the stumps, hit the pads. That’s it. Nothing special.” He added, “That’s been my role for a while: to attack the stumps and make early inroads. It’s always a nice way to start, especially in a big Test match and series.”
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Jaiswal’s wicket came after the young batter had previously taunted Starc in Perth, calling his deliveries “too slow.” Starc’s perfect inswinger on the very first ball silenced any doubts about his pace and skill, setting the stage for an exceptional display of bowling.
Starc’s fiery bowling rattled India, reducing them to 180 all out. However, his spell faced a brief challenge from Nitish Kumar Reddy, who counter-attacked with aggressive stroke play, scoring 42 before falling to Starc. The pacer praised the new generation of fearless batters, saying, “The game has changed. Some of these guys come through IPL cricket with no fear. Whether it’s Jaiswal last week or Reddy today, they are quality players from the start.”
In reply, Australia lost Usman Khawaja early, but Nathan McSweeney (38*) and Marnus Labuschagne (20*) steadied the innings with an unbeaten 62-run partnership. At stumps, Australia were 86/1, trailing India by just 94 runs.
Also See: India vs Australia Series Schedule for all Upcoming Matches
Starc commended the duo’s effort against India’s quality bowling attack. “To finish the day one down in the toughest session with the pink ball was fantastic. It gives us a great chance to push on tomorrow,” he said.
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