'I'm not India's bowling coach': Mitchell Starc's mic-drop reply when asked to rate Bumrah, Siraj's performance on Day 1
Mitchell Starc produced a solid performance on Day 1 of the second Test, picking six wickets to trigger an Indian batting collapse.
Mitchell Starc bamboozled the Indian batting order during Day 1 of the pink-ball Test in Adelaide, registering brilliant figures of 6/48 in the first innings. The left-arm pacer struck on the very first ball of the match – the third time Starc has achieved the feat – when he dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal, and despite the break in momentum with a 68-run stand for the second wicket, Starc came back strongly to trigger an Indian collapse.
As India were bowled out for 180, Australia made a strong start despite the early wicket of Usman Khawaja (13), as they finished Day 1 at 86/1. The Indian bowlers faced criticism over their wayward length, with former India captain Sunil Gavaskar insisting none of the bowlers made the Australian batters play.
Starc, in the press conference after the first day's play, was asked to comment on whether he observed a similar pattern with Indian bowlers. However, wary of not giving away critical information about bowling with the pink ball, Starc dropped a blunt one-liner that left the presser room in splits.
“I am not their bowling coach,” Starc said, as he smiled.
Jasprit Bumrah was the only wicket-taker in the Australian innings on Day 1, as he dismissed Khawaja, finding an outside edge that travelled to second slip, where Rohit Sharma grabbed an easy catch.
Starc, meanwhile, was complimented by Pat Cummins and Scott Boland, who picked two wickets each. Following the gritty stand between Shubman Gill and KL Rahul, Starc broke the momentum when he dismissed Rahul for 37. Thereafter, Australia didn't look back with the left-arm pacer removing the dangerous Virat Kohli for just 7.
Starc also dismissed the dangerous-looking Nitish Reddy for the final wicket of the innings; Reddy had adopted an aggressive approach as he was tasked with forming partnerships alongside tailenders, but miscued a fuller delivery from the left-armer Starc, handing an easy catch to Travis Head near mid-off.
India leading series 1-0
Team India registered an emphatic win in Perth, defeating Australia by 295 runs under Jasprit Bumrah's captaincy. Rohit returned as captain in the second Test but the side faces a signifcant challenge after the hosts gained an edge at the end of Day 1 of the Test in Adelaide.