Not Rishabh Pant! Mitchell Starc reveals the one Indian batter he truly fears

Australia National Cricket Team pace-bowling great Mitchell Starc has named one India National Cricket Team batter he would never want to bowl to in English conditions.

Mitchell Starc's remarks have come in the middle of the five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy between the England National Cricket Team and the India National Cricket Team.

Also Read: Watch: Dhruv Jurel gets injured following Rishabh Pant’s blow at Lord’s as India suffer double setback

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I wouldn’t bowl to him in England, that’s for sure - Mitchell Starc on Shubman Gill

Gill has looked in terrific touch with the bat since taking over the leadership of the Indian Test team. He started showcasing batting brilliance from his debut innings as Test captain and played a sensational knock of 147 runs.

Shubman Gill bettered his performance in the second Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham and played exceptional knocks of 269 and 161 runs respectively.

The modern-day pace-bowling great Mitchell Starc has taken note of Gill's batting and said that he wouldn't want to bowl to the Indian Test captain in English conditions. Speaking on Willow Talk Podcast, Starc said:

“I wouldn’t bowl to him in England, that’s for sure. I didn’t see much of the game, I saw the scorecards. There was a few guys that were waking up, particularly Marnus and Alex Carey and Steve Smith who would sit around a coffee machine and watch the game. I did see the scores. Who would be a kid in England and want to bowl on some of those wickets. But from all reports, it was very sub-continent like which I find it hard to believe,” Starc said

Notably, the pitches on offer in the five-match Test series between England and India have been quite flat, and the boundary ropes have been pulled back.

I don’t read into any of it - Mitchell Starc on England's big scores

When Mitchell Starc's wife Alyssa Healy asked him if England's big scores worry him ahead of the Ashes 2025-26. Replying to this, Starc said that he doesn't read into it and elaborated:

“I don’t read into any of it. Its hard to I mean its the same as they’re probably reading into us over here on wickets that are hard to bat on. And we’re that would be the same as us sitting and going, ‘Ok, they’re playing on absolute highways.’ What do you take out of 300 runs for a Test match and India bowling them out? I don’t know. They are not playing for draws. That’s what you take out of it."

Mitchell Starc set to play 10th Test

The third Test match between Australia and the West Indies at Kingston, Jamaica, will be the 100th match in the longest format of the game for Mitchell Starc. He will become just the second Australian fast bowler to achieve this feat, after legendary Glenn McGrath, and overall just the 11th specialist pacer in Test history.

Speaking to cricket.com.au ahead of the game, Mitchell Starc said that he has tried to look after his body to survive for a long time in Test cricket. He said:

"I've looked after or tried to look after my body and be able to find ways through pain barriers to make an impact for the team. I've been a player that's been injured and left them a man down before and I never wanted to do that again.

"So to find ways when things weren't going well, or things were sore, or if I was carrying something, to still be able to push through and finish games and still be impactful, was part of it. But I've also had a lot of help along the way, with trainers and physios and my best mates being teammates."