'Mitchell Starc is carrying something...': Andrew McDonald confirms pacer's injury

Australia head coach Andrew McDonald has admitted that Mitchell Starc is carrying some kind of injury or niggle ahead of the fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India in Sydney. However, McDonald was still hopeful of Starc to be fit ahead of the upcoming Test.

Mitchell Starc struggled midway through the Melbourne Test and even went off the field during Day 3 of the match due to soreness in his ribs However, he came back on the field on the last day and played a role in his team's win.

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Andrew McDonald admits Mitchell Starc's fitness concerns

Andrew McDonald spoke to the reporters after the Melbourne Test and gave an update on Mitchell Starc's fitness. The Australia head coach admitted about Starc carrying a niggle or soreness but feels that he will be fine going into Sydney.

"We'll see how the bodies are. Clearly, Starcy's (Mitchell Starc) carrying something of some description. We'll assess that. But other than that, it looks as though we got through," McDonald stated.

Andrew McDonald further revealed the reasons behind Starc's availability for SCG. He claimed that the left-arm quick bowled at a good pace once his body got warm and looked in good rhythm.

"It (the injury) didn't stop him. There was a little bit of discomfort early on in spells, but once he got warm, it seemed as though he was pretty free. Ball speeds are good," McDonald added.

Mitchell Starc comes back well in the second innings

Mitchell Starc took the new ball in the second innings and bowled at a good pace. He shared the bowling workload quite well with all the other Australian bowlers and didn't look at any kind of discomfort.

The left-arm fast bowler picked up the wicket of Virat Kohli to give his team a vital breakthrough and finished with 1-25 in 16 overs. Earlier, he had gone wicketless in the first innings for 25 overs.

Starc's fitness will be assessed ahead of the Sydney Test but he is likely to be fit in time according to his team's head coach. In case he is unavailable, Jhye Richardson and Sean Abbott are the other two fast bowlers in the squad as substitutes. While Richardson provides the team with extra pace, Abbott is a capable batter lower down the order.

Australia inch ahead in the series

Meanwhile, Australia have taken the lead for the first time in the series. They completed a comprehensive win over India at the MCG by 184 runs and are now 2-1 up in the series. With just one match left, they will be aiming to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Australia will also be eyeing a spot in the World Test Championship Final after winning in Sydney. The hosts will qualify straightaway if they win the upcoming Test match. On the other hand, India need to win in Sydney to keep their hopes of qualifying for the WTC final alive and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.