IND VS AUS 2023:Mitchell Starc- Australian team is trailing against India in Border Gavaskar Trophy by 0-1, after facing the defeat in Nagpur test match by an inning and 132 runs. The Baggy Green are set to face the host nation in 2nd test match at Delhi on Friday (17th February).
Australia’s speedster Mitchell Starc was not available for the selection in the first test match, but Starc is likely to feature in the second game after he assured to be getting fit to feature in the playing 11 for his side.
Starc said he has a good chance of playing the second game at Delhi –
“I’d like to be a little further down the road, still, a good chance so it’ll come down to how it reacts by the end of (Wednesday), how the medical staff see it, how the selectors and Pat (Cummins) and Ronnie (coach Andrew McDonald) feel about it as well. I’ll do everything I can to be fully available for selection, then it’s a discussion for the rest of the group involved.” said the left arm pacer Starc.
The 33-year-old Starc continues to recover from a finger injury, he was hit by the ball on the tip of his left-hand middle finger against South Africa in MCG in December last year.
“I don’t think (batting will be an issue) so it’s going to be uncomfortable but I don’t think it’s an issue,I think I’ll still field with a cap on (the finger), that’s what I did in Melbourne (after he initially broke the finger)…I don’t field myself in slip anyway,” he said.
Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green bowled at full tilt on a centre-wicket strip today as Australia weigh up the consequences of picking both for Friday's must-win second Test.#INDvAUS | @LouisDBCameron https://t.co/mGAq49OJ4w
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) February 15, 2023
Australia will be hoping for the tall fast bowler to return to the squad for the Delhi test match as another quickie Josh Hazlewood was also unfit in the first game. Meanwhile, Men in Blue have not lost a test match in Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium since 1987.
“Obviously a challenge of a week but we move onto the second Test and it presents a new challenge, I’m not sure we’ll see conditions change too much from last week with how the guys have discussed it, I think judging on the last couple of days the wickets out the back are similar in many ways to what the centre is.” Starc further added.
Asian giants have successfully retained the Border Gavaskar Trophy from the last three editions in which two came down under. Australia last won the test series in India in the 2004-05 series under Ricky Ponting’s captaincy tenure.