'At The Stumps, Hit The...': Mitchell Starc Reveals Plan Behind Yashasvi Jaiswal’s Dismissal in Pink Ball Test Against India

Veteran pacer Mitchell Starc was at his best with the ball as Australia asserted authority over India on Day 1 of the pink ball Test against India in Adelaide Oval. In the very first ball of the day, Starc unleashed a ripper that zipped into Yashasvi Jaiswal and trapped the left-hander in front of the wickets to hand Australia an early breakthrough. 

While addressing the press conference after day's play, Starc was about his plan of action against Jaiswal and he chuckled while stating," At the stumps, hit the pads. That's it. Nothing special."

The 37-year-old also revealed that targeting the stumps early on had always been his go-to mantra with the new ball for Australia.  

"That’s been my role for a while: to attack the stumps and try and make early inroads. Pleased to sneak one past today. We know how important it is to make early inroads into this batting lineup," he said.

"It's always a nice way to start. It is a big Test match, it’s a big series," he added.

Starc recorded his best-ever bowling figures in a Test innings - 6/48 - as Australia dismissed India for 180. But not before all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy produced a blistering cameo down the order to earn the visitors a few crucial runs.

The Aussie pacer praised the 21-year-old and the attacking brand of cricket that contemporary batters such as Reddy and Jaiswal have employed in Test cricket.

"Yeah, the game’s changed. I guess that’s partly the T20-era. Some of these guys come up through IPL cricket and there’s no fear. There’s expectation to be good from the get-go. They’re quality players from the time they get into international cricket, no matter what their age is," said Starc.
 
"We’ve obviously seen a little bit of Jaiswal before in the last week, had a fantastic innings, and then some of the shots (Nitish) Kumar Reddy played today. They were some special shots. Whether it’s T20 cricket or coming into Test cricket or no-fear cricket from the next generation, I’ve been around long enough to see it change a little bit," he added.