"A little acceptance is sometimes important" - Aakash Chopra on how Indian batters can tackle Mitchell Starc
Aakash Chopra feels India can negotiate Mitchell Starc's threat if they bat a bit circumspectly against him and attack the bowlers at the other end.
India face Australia in the third and final ODI in Chennai on Wednesday (March 22). The Men in Blue won the opening game of the series by five wickets despite Starc's three-wicket haul. However, they were blown away by the left-arm pacer in the second match and were eventually annihilated by ten wickets.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra highlighted that India need to accept that Mitchell Starc is at the top of his game and that they cannot afford to lose a plethora of early wickets against him, elaborating:
"When Mitchell Starc is in full swing, he is lethal. What should the Indian team do? A little acceptance is sometimes important that the opposite guy is bowling well and that we should not lose four wickets for 30. It can happen once or twice, but you don't want it to happen repeatedly."
The former Indian opener believes the other Australian seamers should not cause much trouble for Rohit Sharma and Co.:
"You say that the guy is bowling well, but whether Marcus Stoinis, Sean Abbott or Nathan Ellis come with the new ball from the other end, you can manage. We can manage everyone if we are able to neutralize Mitchell Starc's threat at the start."
Sean Abbott and Nathan Ellis picked up three and two wickets respectively in the second ODI. However, Starc did the early damage by dismissing Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and KL Rahul, which made the job easier for the other seamers.
"Over to you, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill" - Aakash Chopra wants Indian openers to neutralise Mitchell Starc
Aakash Chopra pointed out that the Indian openers have not fallen prey to Starc's inswinging deliveries, observing:
"So over to you, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. Shubman has actually not been dismissed by the incoming ball at all. He is getting out to the away-going delivery. Rohit Sharma has played only one match. He also got out to the away-going delivery."
The cricketer-turned-commentator concluded by highlighting that Rohit and Shubman can make the Indian middle order's task easier:
"Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav - they were dismissed by incoming deliveries. So they can play with the straight bat slightly. In fact, if the openers negotiate that threat, things will start looking a lot better."
Starc caught Suryakumar Yadav plumb in front of the wickets for golden ducks in the first two ODIs. Virat Kohli and KL Rahul were also dismissed similarly in the first and second game respectively and would want to give a better account of themselves in the series decider.