Mitchell Starc once again reaffirmed his status as one of the most destructive bowlers with a scintillating five-wicket haul on Day 1 of the Day-Night Pink-Ball Test against India in Adelaide on Friday. Coming out to bowl with the new pink ball, Start struck with the first ball of the play, dismissing young gun Yashasvi Jaiswal. Starc has now taken a wicket with the first ball of a Test match three times, levelling the record of West Indian Pedro Collins. In what was a masterclass in seam and swing, Starc pulverised India’s star-studded batting lineup, helping Australia bowl India out for (180). Starc finished with the figures of (6-48).
Starc’s devastating spell sent Indian batsmen packing one by one. Starc’s victims included Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Nitish Kumar Reddy, R Ashwin and Harshit Rana. This was Starc’s 15th five-wicket haul in Test cricket. After Indian skipper Rohit Sharma opted to bat, Indian batters found it difficult to settle, with Australian bowlers making good use of the conditions.
With Starc's clinical performance, Australia find themselves in a dominant position. For India, Nitish Kumar Reddy was the top scorer, contributing (42). KL Rahul and Shubman Gill also helped a little with their scores of (37) and (31) respectively.