Australia great's “Ball of the Century” decision after Mitchell Starc dismissed India's great batsman

Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc was at his best during India's first innings in the ongoing second Test in Adelaide. Starc took a career-best performance of 6/48 as Australia bowled out India for 180 after the visitors elected to bat first. According to former Australian batsman Mark Waugh, Starc bowled “the ball of the century” when he dismissed Ravichandran Ashwin. The India veteran played a useful cameo before Starc trapped him in front of the stumps with a sharp in-swinging delivery in the 39th over.

It was a brilliant ball from Starc as Ashwin's entertaining 22-run cameo came to an end. Waugh, who was on commentary duty, heaped blockbuster praise on Starc while speaking on-air.

“The ball of the century was almost…it was almost impossible,” Waugh said on Fox Sports.

On the other hand, former England captain Michael Vaughan questioned Ashwin's decision to take DRS and said, “This is one of the best reviews I have seen”. “It could be going on,” Vaughn said.

Travis Head played a brilliant inning of 140 as Australia demolished India's top order in the day-night second Test on Saturday to move towards victory.

The visitors were wobbly at 128-5, still 29 runs behind, at stumps on the second day after Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Scott Boland burst onto the scene under the Adelaide Oval lights.

Rishabh Pant was on 28 and Nitish Kumar Reddy was on 15 as the hosts looked to level the five-Test series with their eighth consecutive win with the pink ball in Adelaide after being defeated by 295 runs in Perth.

Australia were all out for 337 just after tea after leading at 86–1, with Head playing his typically flamboyant innings in front of a large crowd on his home ground.

Batting at number five, he scored at almost a run per ball with 17 fours and four sixes, while Marnus Labuschagne scored a brilliant 64 to take the lead to 157 runs in the first innings.

(With AFP inputs)