“I always try to outsmart the batsmen”, Mitchell Starc

Meet Mitchell Starc one of the most promising and talented fast bowlers of the Australian Cricket Team where the young and dynamic player talks about mastering bowling techniques, most difficult batsman to bowl at, his advice to young cricketers and a lot more:

You had a recent injury during the historical day/night test match at Adelaide, how is your rehabilitation going? When are you aiming to get back to training?

MS: I spoke to the surgeon yesterday, all going well so far according to the plan, need more time for bone to be healed. Time frame pretty flexible, T20 World Cup not ruled out yet, planning to get back before that.

You were part of the day/night test in Adelaide, how was it different to day match? Did the pink ball swing much compared to red cricket ball?

MS: Red ball moves around lot more than pink, it is early days though. Kookaburra doing a fantastic job with the new ball, I prefer bowling with traditional cricket ball as I have been playing since childhood, pink ball does not react as red ball though it swings more under the lights. It was a good experience in Adelaide, great spectacle and was a good game to watch.

You have sent down a 160.4 kmph thunderbolt during the WACA test, is this your fastest you’ve bowled? Have you exceeded this speed at trainings?

MS: No, this is my fastest so far. It was an exciting day at WACA, it was a good experience.

Yorkers and tennis ball bouncers are becoming very popular in T20 games, how do you master these techniques?

MS: A lot of training, more you play, more you pick up. I love bowling at the depth, always trying to outsmart the batsmen, especially in T20 format. We have to be unpredictable, some days it will work, other days it may not.

Do you watch Bollywood movies? Who is your favourite Bollywood actor?

MS: I haven’t watched many Bollywood movies, occasionally watched a few. I have met Shahrukh Khan during IPL games against Knight Riders.

Are you looking forward to joining RCB for IPL this year?

MS: Yes very much though, hopefully soon. We have a great leader Virat Kohli at RCB, we had a successful year last year and we want to do better this year.

Who is the most difficult batsman to bowl at?

MS: There many batsmen out there,AB de Villiers, he is one of the difficult batsmen to bowl at, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and Virat Kohli, they are the hardest to bowl at. It is always an enjoyable experience to bowl at them.

What is the best opportunity you have enjoyed in your career so far?

MS: Playing for Australia, it was a fantastic opportunity, very lucky to be part of the team and travel the world to play cricket. I still remember travelling to India on my first international flight to play cricket, it was a fabulous experience. It is great to see cricket played all over in India, one of the most embraced sports of all time.

Any advice for young cricketers?

MS: Enjoy the game, have fun with your mates while you play at the parks. If you enjoy the game you will do better. More you play, you will play well and will have more fun. Best wishes for 2016 and Happy New Year!