Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc says even though he has not attained 100% fitness, he is ready to take on the challenge that India will provide in the third Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2022-23 to be played at the Holkar Stadium in Indore from March 1.
The visiting side Australia or in a desperate situation to bounce back and avert a series defeat which is likely to be a 4-0 clean sweep in favour of India, who have proven unstoppable in their home conditions with their spin bowlers Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Akshar Patel also hurting the visitors with the bat.
Australia have lost both the first two Test matches in Nagpur and New Delhi by having margins and even though a chance to win a series in India has been hammered, the world No 1 team will hope to find some inspiration and play competitive cricket in order to challenge India’s authority in their backyard.
The left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc will have to shoulder a lot of responsibility if he is selected for the third Test in Indore, given that Australia will be without their regular captain Pat Cummins and right-arm fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, who both are not available for this match.
Mitchell Starc told the media about his injured finger that,
“It’s good enough. There’s going to be a level of discomfort… I don’t think it is going to be 100% for a little while, but the ball is coming out quite nicely and I feel like I’m pretty much at full tilt.”
“It’s more the discomfort of the joint being restricted having been in a splint for six weeks and still having to be in a splint for another couple of weeks yet. That’s probably the only part — dealing with the discomfort of it, getting the mobility back into it. That’ll come over the next couple of weeks and it’s progressed again, it’s a progression each day I bowl. It’s not a concern for me, the comfort levels — it’s doing what I need it to do to be available to play,”
Mitchell Starc said.
Mitchell Starc added that he has some past experience of playing with pain.
“It wouldn’t be the first Test match I’ve played in some sort of discomfort. If I only played when I was at 100%, I would have only played five or ten Tests. I’m happy with where it’s at and I’ve built up enough of a pain threshold to deal with that stuff over the last 10 or 12 years.”
While the return of Mitchell Starc in their bowling line-up and the addition of star all-rounder Cameron Green will be beneficial for Australia, it remains to be seen how their batsmen go about their business in the third and fourth Test matches to be played at Indore and Ahmedabad, respectively.
The visiting Australian batsmen, including some of the worlds top players such as Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, have looked clueless against Indian spinners on favourable wickets.