Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazelwood achieve unique batting record against India

India were looking to wrap up Australia early on Day 2 in Perth after they had dismissed Alex Carey and Nathan Lyon in the first hour of the day itself, and had the home side reduced to 79/9.

However, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood combined to bat 110 deliveries for the 10th wicket and added 25 runs in the process. In fact, their resistance against the Indian pacers was so effective that they played 12 more deliveries than the Australian top-five combined play (98). 

However, both Starc and Hazlewood have shown ample rearguard action against India in the past as well. After this mammoth effort for the last wicket, they have now played 473 balls as the last wicket pair against India — the most for any 10th-wicket batting pair in India’s Test cricket history. 

Jasprit Bumrah and Harshit Rana bent their backs hard and tried to bounce out both batters. However, the old ball wasn’t as venomous as the new one yesterday. The Australian tail did well in taking the team's score past three figures and ensuring India don’t get a lead of more than 50 after making only 150 in their first innings. 

Starc was batting with a lot of maturity, and he played the second most balls for a number seven or lower batter in an innings at the Optus Stadium, where bowlers have always ruled the roost. In fact, only Tim Paine (116) has faced more deliveries than the left-arm speedster, who had 112 deliveries and scored 26 runs. 

He was the last wicket to fall, and funnily, it was Rana who dismissed him off a short ball that rose on him and induced the edge as Starc tried to pull it across the line. Just a few overs ago, Starc was heard on the stump mic saying to Rana, “I bowl faster than you, and I’ve got a long memory.” Both the pacers have played for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). 

Eventually, Australia were 104 all out, their third-lowest total at home in Tests in the 21st century. 

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