In particular, the all-rounder’s absence has the potential to have an impact on Australia’s aging week attack, with an increased workload likely against the Republic of India.
“It will always change the dynamic when you bring out a genuine all-rounder like Cameron Green, or in England when you bring out Ben Stokes,” Starc said. “When you’ve got that real all-rounder who’s been part of a group for a while… you get into a bit of a routine of having that extra bowling option.
“I don’t know what the dynamics of that lineup will be, there are a dozen conversations around that starting spot and Mitch [Marsh] bowl with the same intelligence.
“It’s not completely strange. We’ve had series in the past where we didn’t have any off-roaders.”
“We have needed to shed part of that workload, and Gaz [Nathan Lyon] Most likely he needed to play a little more with the same intelligence.”
Hazlewood will then play in the Blues’ next game against Queensland, with Starc rested.
Australia have five Tests in seven weeks against India, with the longest gap being a 10-day break between the first Test of the series in Perth and the second Test in Adelaide.
Starc said Australia’s bowlers had always adopted an extended team approach, with several factors influencing whether the first-choice group’s workloads were handled.
“That’s been the mentality for several years now, with an overseas excursion or designing a house, and the mentality of how exhausting the summer season will be or the design will be too,” Starc said. “It has been said that if you have four or five tests that last four days, the remaining month between matches [can be important].
“Obviously there is a big gap between the first and second tests and the third and fourth tests. That can also play a role.”
“We don’t know what wickets we will get, we don’t understand how successful or unsuccessful we can be.”
Starc, Cummins, Hazlewood and Lyon played unchanged for the last four Border-Gavaskar Test series at home in 2020-21. They also did the same in all five summer home Tests last season, with Australia losing the final Test at the Gabba on both occasions.
“There are too many elements to sit here from the beginning and say that’s what’s going to happen,” Starc said. “But there are certainly times when you feel the five-test grind.”
A week after firing two tons against South Australia, Konstas shared a net session with Steve Smith on Friday at New South Wales training. While Starc wasn’t interested in whether Konstas’s time should come this summer, he had seen enough to believe the young talent could succeed.
“There is no explanation why [for him] not to [handle it]”Starc said. “He was clearly given the skill, he was given the ethic of the paintings, he’s a young, attractive guy.
“Time will tell. If he doesn’t get picked this summer, I’m sure the runs on the board will help him in the long run.”
