Bengaluru, December 1: Australian pace bowling spearhead Mitchell Starc, who has been off colour in the first two One-day Internationals against India has got the complete backing of his captain Aaron Finch who expects his premier left-armer quickie to bounce back quickly.
Australia sealed the three-match series following their 51-run victory at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in the second ODI on Sunday (November 29), but Starc's struggles have raised concerns leading into the four-Test series starting on December 17 in Adelaide.
Starc returned with unimpressive figures of 0-82 from nine overs at SCG, two days after recording 1-65 in the opener at the same ground where he conceded 20 runs in his first over.
Mitchell Starc on living in bio-bubbles - It's not a sustainable lifestyle
Finch said there would be discussions about how to deploy Starc ahead of Wednesday's (December 2) dead rubber in Canberra but he was unfazed by the 30-year-old's form.
"I think he's going OK," the limited overs skipper told reporters
"He hasn't been at his very best and you've to understand that his standards are a lot higher than what you expect from most other people because of how dominant he's been the last eight, nine years -- especially in the white-ball formats.
"There'll be some conversations had today about what we can do slightly different, whether it's a tactical thing, when we're using him through the innings.
"But there's definitely no panic stations from my point of view."
Finch said losing opening partner David Warner to a groin injury was a blow for Australia.
India vs Australia: Warner and Cummins to miss rest of white-ball series
Matthew Wade, unused so far, could be brought in, he said, but selectors might opt to promote wicketkeeper Alex Carey or Marnus Labuschagne, who batted at four in the second ODI, depending on the pitch.
"He's an all-time great in one-day, T20 cricket," Finch said of Warner. "Any team that he's not a part of is going to be slightly weaker.
India vs Australia | Marnus Labuschagne ready to open in place of David Warner
"But we've got guys that can step up and really contribute in that role as well."
After the ODI series, the two sides will square off for a three-match T20 series before the Test series.
(With inputs from Agencies)