Starc shines with career-best figures as Australia dominate India on day one

Mitchell Starc

Mitchell Starc delivered a career-best performance with figures of 6-48, helping Australia take control on day one of the second Test against India at the Adelaide Oval.

After winning the toss, Rohit Sharma chose to bat, but India were bowled out for just 180, with Starc leading the charge. He set the tone early by dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal with the first ball of the match, then followed up with the crucial wickets of KL Rahul and Virat Kohli. Starc's second spell dismantled India's lower order, marking his dominance in day-night Tests with 72 wickets—more than anyone else.

Nitish Kumar Reddy fought back for India with a quickfire 42, including three sixes, but his efforts were not enough to stem the tide.

In response, Australia faced a challenging period under the floodlights. Jasprit Bumrah, on his 31st birthday, had a chance to dismiss Nathan McSweeney early, but Rohit Sharma dropped the catch. Bumrah later claimed the wicket of Usman Khawaja with a sharp delivery, leaving Australia at 23-2. However, McSweeney (38*) and Marnus Labuschagne (20*) weathered the storm to see Australia safely through to stumps, undeterred by brief floodlight outages and a spectator's beer snake near the sightscreen.