Australian skipper Tim Paine backs pace-bowler Mitchell Starc to rediscover himself in Perth clash against India

Australian skipper Tim Paine has backed fast-bowler Mitchell Starc to rediscover himself and make his presence felt with an excellent performance in the second Test against India at Perth. 

"When Starcy's on song, there is no better bowler in the world, particularly with the new ball," said the Australian skipper.

"In Perth, the conditions will suit him down to the ground ... from what I am hearing, the wicket is going to be really fast so he'll be a handful," he added. 

The 28-year-old fast bowler was critised for his below-par performance in the first Test held in Adelaide where he failed to make an impact by picking wickets. Legendary bowlers like Glenn Mcgrath and Mitchell Johnson termed a lack of rhythm due to an unstable run-up as well as a lack of intent as prime reasons for his struggle. 

However Paine refused to blame the fast-bowler despite his ineffectiveness, opting to focus on the positives instead. 

"For the majority of the Test, Starcy actually bowled really well. I saw a bit of stuff ... that people were pretty critical of him," said Paine.

"But I think his economy rate for a lot of the Test was really good - he took some wickets. He didn't set the world on fire but I think, for a long time, there's been a really big gap between Starcy's best and his worst."

"And from what I'm seeing, that is getting closer and closer every day," he concluded.  

The second Test between India and Australia is all set to commence from December 14.