A fan-made video captured a nice interaction between Mitchell Starc and the Indian faithful at the Adelaide Oval.
Mitchell Starc was the star of the show for Australia in the early part of day one for Australia, as his six-fer at the Adelaide Oval helped the team restrict and bowl out India for just 180 runs in the first two sessions.
Australia’s Mitchell Starc celebrates the dismissal of India’s Virat Kohli during the day one of the second cricket test match between Australia and India at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide, Australia, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/James Elsby)(AP)
While Starc was at his devastating best in Adelaide, finding plenty of swing and bounce off the Adelaide pitch, it didn’t stop Indian fans from having some fun at his expense from the crowd at the Oval.
In a video captured from the stands with Starc fielding near the boundary, fans can be heard chanting “IPL, IPL, Starcy loves IPL!” as well as “K-K-R, K-K-R,” towards the Aussie bowler as he takes sips of a refreshment near the fans.
Starc helped Kolkata Knight Riders to their third IPL title in 2024, playing a crucial role in the playoffs after he earned a bumper one-year contract from the IPL team in the auction. Starc can be seen sending a thumbs up towards the crowd, acknowledging the fans, leading to a cheer.
The Australian seamer will remain involved in the IPL, albeit at a cut-price rate following the mega-auction, where he was chosen by the Delhi Capitals to lead the pace attack in the nation’s capital. Fans can be heard asking Starc “How much?”, lightly grilling him about the pay cut between the two IPL seasons.
Starc received a record-breaking INR 24.75 cr deal in the 2024 auction, but that decreased to 11.75 cr this year in the mega-auction, with Delhi winning out on the bid.
Starc stars with 6 in first innings
Starc got proceedings off in the perfect way for Australia, giving them exactly the kind of start they would have wanted after the heavy loss suffered in Perth. Starc caught Perth centurion Yashasvi Jaiswal LBW with the very first delivery of the game, pitching it at his legs and getting it to straighten to remove the dangerous southpaw.
Starc then returned to dislodge KL Rahul after a solid partnership alongside Shubman Gill, opening the floodgates for a middle order collapse as he removed Virat Kohli with a similar dismissal in the slips the very next over.
With three wickets under his belt, Starc returned to face the tail, and bowled two phenomenal yorkers in the same over to get rid of Ravichandran Ashwin after a few nice strokes, as well as his former KKR teammate Harshit Rana to complete the five-fer. He then put a bow on proceedings, dismissing Nitish Kumar Reddy as the all-rounder tried to add some quick runs at the end of the innings.
