Yashasvi Jaiswal's 'Too Slow' Comment Motivated Mitchell Starc To Deliver His Best Against India In Adelaide: Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting believes Yashasvi Jaiswal's casual sledge in the first Test motivated Mitchell Starc, leading him to deliver career-best figures in the IND vs AUS Adelaide Test.

Mitchell Starc achieved career-best bowling figures of 6-48 in the IND vs AUS 2nd Test at Adelaide.

Source : X/ @ICC

Mitchell Starc was at his best in the India vs Australia Adelaide Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. After failing to leave a mark in the series-opener at Perth, Starc soared back in form to claim his career-best bowling figure of 6-48 and helped Australia level the series by defeating India by 10 wickets in Adelaide. Former cricketer Ricky Ponting has remarked that Yashasvi Jaiswal's comment about Starc "bowling too slow" in the first Test likely sparked the fire in the Aussie pacer which prompted him to respond with a match-winning spell in Adelaide.

In the first innings of the Perth Test, Starc dismissed Jaiswal for a duck off eight balls, but the Indian opener responded strongly in the second innings, scoring 161. During that innings, Jaiswal sledged the Aussie saying that Starc was "bowling too slow." While Starc wasn't at his best in Perth's second innings, he produced a brilliant spell in the Adelaide Test's first innings, claiming figures of 6/48, including Jaiswal's wicket off the very first ball of the match.

ALSO ON ABP Live | Naveen-ul-Haq Bowls Nightmare 13-Ball Over As Zimbabwe Clinch Last-Ball Thriller Against Afghanistan | WATCH

Jaiswal's Comment Pushed Starc To Deliver His Best: Ricky Ponting

Ponting, while speaking on The ICC Review, suggested that Jaiswal’s cheeky comment may have pushed Starc to deliver his best in Adelaide’s pink-ball Test. Ponting noted although Starc generally responds to sledges with a smile, he does feel a fire burning inside him.

“He's actually a pretty level-headed guy, Mitchell Starc. He doesn't get flustered too much, even you see when he's bowling now. And if one of the batters does happen to say something, he generally responds with a little smile on his face. But I think that smile on his face might be just a bit of a cover for the fire that's burning inside. Look, he bowled beautifully in Adelaide didn’t he,” Ponting said.