Mitchell Starc, one of the architects of Australia’s comeback win in Adelaide, said the hosts had left the Perth debacle behind by shutting the “outside noise” following their heavy defeat in the series-opener. A 295-run embarrassing defeat despite bowling India out for just 150 in the first innings invited criticism for the hosts from all quarters. Living up to his reputation with the pink ball, left-arm quick Starc handed Australia a dream start by dismissing Perth centurion Yashasvi Jaiswal in the very first ball of the second Test en route to finishing with an impressive match haul of 8/108.
“There was a lot of outside noise after the game but we left Perth in Perth. Cannot really put my finger on it,” Starc said after the end of the match.
About his approach with the pink ball, he said: “Nothing changes in my approach. Probably slightly fuller lengths. It (pink ball) is more like the white ball than the red ball.
“We were really positive with bat and ball and got the rewards. It’s nice when the ball hits the stumps.” He further credited his skipper Pat Cummins for helping in his growth and highlighted improvements in his bowling, including mastering deliveries that move away and those that swing back. He also talked about enhancement in his accuracy with the wobble seam technique.
” I have been learning a lot from Pat Cummins over the last seven years or so. So I have added to my bow the one that goes away and still able to bring one back.
“I always had that air speed and swing but I have also been someone who leaked a bit. Developing the wobble seam helped me improve my accuracy over the years. To be able to have the longevity is putting that hard yards in that people don’t always see,” he added.
Cummins also hailed Starc for his impact “He’s amazing. He’s been doing it for over a decade. I feel very lucky and privileged to have him in the team.” “That’s a great week for us. We were far from the team we wanted to be in Perth, but this was much better. It’s always good to contribute with a few wickets myself.” Cummins also lauded Travis Head’s game-changing innings of 140 from 141 balls that gave Australia a decisive first-innings lead.
“Head loves batting here. The game could have gone either way when he walked in, but he shifted the momentum in our favor.” He also praised Scott Boland’s seamless integration into the attack: “Scotty just fit in straightaway, like he always does. He probes every ball at the top of off-stump. Hopefully, Josh (Hazlewood) is back next week, but even then, Scotty has been unbelievable.”
Didn’t play well enough to win: Rohit
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma admitted Australia emerged a better team in the contest.
“It’s been a disappointing week for us. We didn’t play well enough to win the game. Australia played better than us. There were times when we could have grabbed the opportunity but failed, which cost us the game,” he said.
“What we did in Perth was great, but every game throws a new challenge. Looking forward to the next Test, we’ll take the positives from what we did well in Perth and in Brisbane last time.” The third Test at Gabba begins from December 14.
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