Starc first showed signs of discomfort in the first innings at the MCG but was able to play a key role in the dramatic surge to victory where he claimed Virat Kohli on the final day. Starc went for scans on Wednesday but also spent time in the gym during what became an optional training session in which none of the players who played in Melbourne swung their arms.
Normally, Australia has its main training session two days before a Test, but has modified its preparation given the short gap between the last two matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series and the increased workload at the MCG.
Starc has been praised for his consistency throughout this series, with Ricky Ponting regularly saying that he has never seen him bowl better. He has 15 wickets at 28.73 in the four Tests and was unlucky not to claim more than one wicket at the MCG.
“I thought the first spell [in the second innings] without the reward it was some of the best bowling I’ve seen from him in this series,” Carey said. “He’s a quality player and has been for a long time. Now he has the opportunity to help this team in a test match. “He will be ready for the contest and I think his bowling has improved throughout the series.”
Generally, Starc’s numbers have faded towards the end of long Test campaigns, with his average in the fourth and fifth matches being 41.82, while it is 25.91 in the first three matches of a series. He has also struggled at the SCG, his home stadium, with nine Tests bringing 24 wickets at 44.16 on a surface that has not always offered much stimulus for quicks, although Carey said it was reasonably well grassed two days before this match. .
If Starc was unable to take his place in the XI, it would open the door for Jhye Richardson to play his first Test since Ashes 2021-22. He featured for Perth Scorchers on New Year’s Day where he bowled with pace and movement to claim 3 for 29 against Adelaide Strikers before rejoining the Test team in Sydney.
Sean Abbott is the team’s other quick reserve, and would add more depth to the batting order if he debuted as one of the three closers.
“Whenever we put someone in the spotlight, the real Australian way is to show them how good we are,” Carey said. “So I think it’s Mitch’s time.”
“I was a spectator in that first session,” Carey said. “I probably had the emotions of the 90,000 that were there. Sometimes I couldn’t see it, sometimes I was cheering.
“We know that it is a high-quality team in India, who have shown that they are really capable of bouncing back. So, for this group, it is heads down, another chance to win a Test match, and if we are able to secure the trophy “It would be fantastic.”
Alex Carey
“But the energy he brought was something different. I probably didn’t expect that much of a difference, but he played a style of cricket that was probably new to India as well.
“We’ll wait and see how we play here. I don’t think that’s their plan for every Test match, but to be able to throw some punches early and get a little bit of momentum for us, which was probably the initial partnership. I’m just missing that intensity.
“I thought Nathan [McSweeney] and usman [Khawaja] It also helped us overcome difficult situations when facing many balls. “Sam was able to score a little bit, so hopefully we get another chance in front of his home crowd.”
The weather is often a talking point in the Sydney Tests and, with the series tied at 2-1, it could become a major factor. Currently, the first three days look good and calm, but there is a higher chance of rain on Monday and Tuesday.
“[It would be] reward for 24 months of really solid cricket,” Carey said. “[It is] an extremely experienced, skilled, [with] Australian legends among them, who continue to surprise us with how good they are… but we can’t look too far into the future.
“We know that it is a high-quality team in India, who have shown that they are really capable of bouncing back. So, for this group, it is heads down, another chance to win a Test match, and if we are able to secure the trophy “It would be fantastic.”
Andrew McGlashan is deputy editor of ESPNcricinfo
