Mitchell Starc’s wicket-yielding delivery to R Ashwin was deemed “ball of the century”.© X (Twitter)
Australia pacer Mitchell Starc was at his absolute best during India’s first innings in the ongoing second Test in Adelaide. Starc registered his career-best figures of 6/48 as Australia bowled India out for 180 after the visitors had opted to bat. According to former Australia batter Mark Waugh, Starc bowled the “ball of the century” when he dismissed Ravichandran Ashwin. The India veteran played a handy cameo before Starc trapped him plumb in front of the stumps with a sharp in-swinging delivery in the 39th over.
It was a gem of a delivery from Starc as Ashwin entertaining cameo of 22 came to an end. Waugh, who was on commentary duty, reserved blockbuster praise for Starc, speaking on-air.
“The ball of the century almost…that was almost unplayable,” Waugh said on Fox Sports.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan, on the other hand, questioned Ashwin’s decision to take the DRS, labelling it “That’s one of the best reviews I’ve seen”. “It may have been going under,” added Vaughan.
Travis Head blazed a sparkling 140 before Australia demolished India’s top order to close in on victory in the day-night second Test on Saturday.
At stumps on day two the visitors were floundering at 128-5, still 29 runs adrift, after a fiery blast under the Adelaide Oval lights from Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Scott Boland.
Rishabh Pant was on 28 and Nitish Kumar Reddy 15 as the hosts eye their eighth straight pink-ball victory in Adelaide to level the five-Test series after being crushed by 295 runs in Perth.
Australia were all out just after tea for 337 after resuming on 86-1, with Head producing a typically flamboyant knock on his home ground in front of a big crowd.
Batting at five, he scored at almost a run a ball, slamming 17 fours and four sixes, while Marnus Labuschagne chipped in a gritty 64 to build a first-innings lead of 157.
(With AFP Inputs)
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