Starc’s Career-Best 6-48 Dismisses Jaiswal, Sends Australia Into Strong Position
Mitchell Starc dominated with a career-best 6-48 on Friday, leading Australia’s charge against India in the second day-night Test in Adelaide. His standout performance saw him defeat India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had scored a brilliant 161 in the series opener in Perth.
Jaiswal, who had taunted Starc for bowling “too slow” during the first Test, was left stunned as Starc responded with a fiery inswinging yorker that trapped him lbw for a duck. The Adelaide crowd roared as Starc celebrated, clearly thrilled to have dismissed the dangerous opener early.
Speaking after India’s innings, Starc admitted that he didn’t “visualise” Jaiswal’s dismissal but was pleased to have snuck the ball through. “Not so much… but nice to sneak one past,” the 34-year-old said with a grin.
Starc, who now boasts 72 wickets in day-night Tests—more than any other bowler—faced challenging conditions in Adelaide, with humidity making it tough to maintain peak performance. Despite this, he finished with stellar figures, dismissing key batsmen, including KL Rahul and Virat Kohli, both caught in two minds on whether to play or leave the ball.
Although Nitish Kumar Reddy managed to hit Starc for a six, he was soon forced off after a blow to the helmet. Starc, always concerned for his fellow player’s safety, was the first to check on him.
With the pink ball in hand, Starc’s destructive spell put Australia in a strong position in the second match of the five-Test series, as they look to level the series.
