IND v AUS 2023: “Maybe my finger injury is helping,” Mitchell Starc quips after match-winning 5-fer in 2nd ODI

Starc put on a show with the ball in Australia’s 10-wicket victory over India in the second ODI.

Mitchell Starc | GettyMitchell Starc put on a fast-bowling exhibition for Australia in their emphatic 10-wicket victory over India in the second ODI at Visakhapatnam on Sunday (March 19).

The left-arm pacer ran through the Indian batting line-up, returning with a five-wicket haul to bundle out the hosts for a paltry 117 in 26 overs.

Starc wreaked havoc with the new ball, dismissing Shubman Gill (0), Rohit Sharma (13), Suryakumar Yadav (0) and KL Rahul (9) cheaply in powerplay overs. Mohammed Siraj (0) was his last victim as he finished with the figures of 5/53 in his 8 overs.

The lanky speedster also troubled the Indian top-order in the opening ODI, picking three scalps in the visitors’ five-wicket defeat.

After the second ODI, Starc spoke about his ability to swing the ball and joked that his recent finger injury might be helping him in finding abundant swing in the early overs.

"Maybe my finger injury is helping, I am not sure (laughs). It is something that I have worked on, it is almost the byproduct (finding swing) of what I have done with wobble seam. I feel like my action is slightly higher which has helped my arm path, in turn helping me present the seam slightly better. So. I think that all played a bit of a part and I think that has helped me swing the ball late," Starc said while speaking to Aaron Finch and Ajit Agarkar.

Mitchell Starc’s economy rate was 6.60 in the second ODI, and he conceded that he got carried away a little after finding some swing and bowled a few half volleys.

"I think the boundaries that I got hit, were in-between lengths. Maybe I got a little carried away looking for some swing, and they were probably half volleys to be honest," Starc further added.

The series-deciding third ODI will be played at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday (March 22).

(India Today Inputs)

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 21 Mar, 2023

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