IND vs AUS: Cheteshwar Pujara Advices Indian Batters on How to Counter 'Much Improved' Mitchell Starc Threat

Cheteshwar Pujara has advised the Indian batters to somehow see off the new ball to counter the threat of the "much improved" Australian pacer Mitchell Starc ahead of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.

Starc is once again bowling at his best, striking early and has become a significant threat to India in the ongoing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under. The left-arm quick is tied as the series' leading wicket-taker for the hosts alongside captain Pat Cummins with 14 wickets from the first three Tests.

The 34-year-old may have struggled for wickets in the opening Test despite removing the openers early, but has since been a challenge for the Indian top order. He removed Yashasvi Jaiswal first ball of the Adelaide Test to get the ball rolling and ended up with his first fifer of the series.

Even in Brisbane, Starc ended with three wickets, removing Jaiswal and Shubman Gill inside three overs. Speaking on Star Sports, Pujara praised Starc's improvement as a bowler in the last year and a half.

"He has been their best bowler thus far in this series. He has improved his bowling a lot in the last one to one-and-a-half years. If I talk about my personal experience, when he used to bowl in the last two series, we felt we could get runs. However, now it seems like when he comes to bowl, he will pick up wickets," Pujara said on Star Sports.

"His accuracy has improved a lot. He is bowling very few loose deliveries. He is bowling at the stumps, hitting the good length spot consistently, and getting swings. He has become a different bowler. He is looking more dangerous than Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood."

While he praised the Aussie pacer, Pujara, who has been doing commentary during the series, said there is one way to counter the threat of Star. The Indian batter advised to see off the new ball as the Australian spearhead is not that effective with the older ball.

"We will have to manage his bowling, especially with the new ball. He has taken most of his wickets in his first five overs, his first spell. We need to bat well in the first five overs and make him bowl the second and third spells because he gets tired," Pujara added.

Pujara also noted how Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah's late stand in Brisbane showed Starc's ineffectiveness with the older ball. "When Mitchell Starc was bowling to Bumrah and Akash Deep with the old ball, he wasn't that effective. So, play the new ball properly," Pujara advised.

Having helped by rain to a draw in Brisbane and with the series at 1-1, Rohit Sharma's Team India will look to carry on the late momentum into the fourth Test when they face Australia on Boxing Day (December 26) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).