Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc received high praise from Shaun Tait who believes Starc is one of the best white-ball bowlers the country has produced and is close to achieving that status. Starc’s recent performance in the second ODI against India, where he took his ninth five-wicket haul, he helped Australia to a win by 10 wickets and level the series 1–1. He has now taken 219 wickets in 109 ODIs, with an impressive bowling average of 21.78.

During the second ODI against India on Sunday, Mitchell Starc turned in a phenomenal bowling performance taking four wickets in the first power play, including those of Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and KL Rahul.

He then completed his five-wicket haul by sacking Mohammed Siraj, leading to India being bowled out for a meager aggregate of 117 runs. Starc’s experience in returning the ball inside made life difficult for Indian hitters with the new ball.

Mitchell Starc is brave enough to throw the ball, no matter what the conditions: Shaun Tait

According to Shaun Tait, a former Australian pacer, Mitchell Starc, like Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi, focuses on swinging the ball by shooting it up. Starc had also claimed three early wickets with the new ball in the series opener against India, worrying his batsmen.

“I think it’s been the same for him. Basically he just wants to swing the ball and get on the stumps. Conditions helped him a bit again. Even in Mumbai, he had a thing for fast bowlers and obviously he had that too today. I think he was right and the hitters were wrong. He reminds me a bit of Shaheen Afridi, where no matter the conditions, he’s gutsy enough to shoot the ball up, almost half the length of the volley into the stumps and backing up his pace. Mitchell Starc is close to being one of the best bowlers Australia has ever had in white-ball cricket.”

“There has been a problem. It’s a struggle for many hitters. A lefty who shoots around 145 and can swing the ball is dangerous to anyone. Today, for example, what the Indian players did wrong was prepare as if it were a flat field. Walking around the stumps and playing some loose shots. I think today’s conditions did not allow for that. It was probably a wicket where you had to spend some time and get through the difficult periods.”

After their significant loss, India will be looking to make a strong comeback in the third and final ODI of the series. With each team winning one game, the final match is expected to be an exciting one before moving on to another exciting Indian Premier League season.

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Virat Kohli | Rohit Sharma | Rishabh Pant | KL Raul | Suryakumar Yadav | Sanju Samson | Shreyas Iyer | Yuzvendra Chahal | Jasprit Bumrah