Scott Boland reveals details of Mitchell Starc’s injury at MCG

Fast bowler Scott Boland gave a crucial update on the fitness of his bowling teammate Mitchell Starc after the end of Day 3 of the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Melbourne.

Starc looked uncomfortable on a hot day in Melbourne and was down on pace as well. The left-arm fast bowler is a vital cog in the wheel of Australia's bowling attack. His unavailability or fitness concerns are likely to affect Australia's chances in the game.

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Scott Boland gives an update on Mitchell Starc's fitness

Scott Boland spoke to the reporters after the end of the third day's play at the MCG. During the press conference, he was asked about his teammate Mitchell Starc's fitness concerns. Boland revealed that Starc has a niggle but is likely to be fine to take further part in the rest of the Test match.

"He (Mitchell Starc) is okay. He just had a bit of a niggle somewhere on his back or rib but I don't know. But he came after the break and was bowling 140 (kph). I think he is going to be fine," Boland said.

Mitchell Starc is capable of bowling at over 140 kph on a consistent basis. However, his pace was down during the third day's play as he struggled to bowl at a good line consistently. He also bowled down the leg side at times as India's batters played him comfortably.

"Underrated for how tough he is" - Scott Boland on Mitchell Starc

Scott Boland further remembered a moment when Mitchell Starc bowled at speeds north of 140 kph even with an injured finger. He hailed Starc's ability to play in a lot of pain and called it a great trait to have for a fast bowler.

"Underrated for how tough he is. I think a couple of years ago here at the MCG with a broken finger, we didn't think that he will bowl at all and then he came and bowled 140 kph swingers," Boland reminded the reporters.

"He is someone who can play through a lot of pain and he has played close to 90 Test matches now. As a fast bowler, there are not many games that you play without any niggle at all. But he is someone who can still bowl at the same pace even if he is really sore which is a great trait to have," the 35-year-old said.

Australia is already not playing with their strongest pace attack as Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the series after injuring himself in the last Test. Boland replaced him for this game and is likely to play the next Test as well.

Mitchell Starc's performance so far

Mitchell Starc has not been at his best in this match. He has been wicketless so far and has figures reading 0-86 in 25 overs so far. With India having lost nine wickets already, Starc can return on Day 4 to pick up the last wicket.

Starc picked up three wickets in the last Test at Gabba in which he bowled just 1.4 overs in the second innings due to rain. However, Starc was excellent in the second Test in Adelaide with eight wickets in the match.

Meanwhile, Scott Boland has been the star for Australia so far in this innings. His figures read 3-57 in 27 overs so far. Among his dismissals, he has picked up the big wickets of Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant.