Mitch’s stark reminder of pink-ball prowess

If anybody needed reminding that the pink ball is Mitch Starc's bread and butter the memo was delivered second ball of the Vodafone Test Series. 

Starc bowled a rocket that nipped back into right-handed India opener Prithvi Shaw, which took the inside edge and clattered into the stumps and lit up the bails.  

Shaw's wicket was Starc's 43rd in his eighth day-night Test and the left-armer made it 44 when he curled an inswinger into the pads of Ajiknya Rahane with the second new ball late on day one.  

For a fast bowler who prefers the traditional red ball and sunlight of daytime Tests, Starc has taken to the twilight version of the five-day game better than any bowler in the world.   

So when asked how much he liked bowling with the pink, luminescent ball, he couldn't help but chuckle as he answered: "Yeah, it's not bad." 

"I would have liked a little more swing early on through the day but I think that had a bit to do with the blustery, gusty, swirly wind that we had today," Starc, who took 2-49 from 19 overs, told cricket.com.au after play. 

"It's nice to see it move a little bit tonight and hopefully we can get it moving one way or the other tomorrow early afternoon and get a few more wickets." 

While the first pink ball failed to move in the air at the start of play in the afternoon, the second ball swung significantly under lights in the final session. 

Starc trapped Rahane with the ball just four deliveries old and Josh Hazlewood had it curving away to the right-handers. Ironically, it was a ball that straightened that accounted for No.6 Hanuma Vihari. 

Why did the second ball swing and the first didn't? Starc puts it down to conditions. 

"I think it's a bit to do with bowling under lights," he said. 

"And the wind seemed to be a more constant direction in that last session rather than that real swirly stuff that we say for the first two sessions. 

"I think that played a part. In years gone by it's those night sessions where it's pretty still – you see the ball swing around a fair bit and offer a bit more off the wicket when the grass starts to stand up. 

"That's the night session and pink ball cricket." 

The Adelaide Test is Starc's first match back after leaving the bubble earlier this month on compassionate grounds due to a family illness. 

While he wasn't with the squad, Starc was still preparing to play, showing no signs of rust as he played a key part in Australia's disciplined bowling unit that reduced India to 6-233 at stumps.   

"(It's) nice to be back with the group, had a couple days prep," he said.  

"I've still been bowling so it's not like I've been away for too long but it's good to be playing cricket." 

Vodafone Test Series v India 2020-21

Australia Test squad: Tim Paine (c), Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner

India Test squad: Virat Kohli (c) (first Test only), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj

First Test: December 17-21, Adelaide Oval, 3pm AEDT (day-night)

Second Test: December 26-30, MCG, 10.30am AEDT

Third Test: January 7-11, SCG, 10.30am AEDT

Fourth Test: January 15-19, Gabba, 11am AEDT