Mitchell Starc pulled off a moment of brilliance on Thursday (October 23), taking a sensational juggling catch at the boundary to dismiss a well-set Axar Patel during the second ODI between India and Australia at the Adelaide Oval. Axar Patel, who looked in fine touch, was batting on 44 off 40 balls when Adam Zampa came into the attack for the 45th over.
With the innings entering its final stretch, Axar tried to accelerate, attempting a big shot on the first delivery — a tossed-up ball outside off stump. The Indian all-rounder lofted it cleanly towards long-off, but Mitchell Starc turned what looked like a certain six into a spectacular dismissal.
WATCH – Mitchell Starc Takes A Dig At Rohit Sharma After Dismissing Him in the Second ODI
Positioned near the boundary, Starc tracked the ball perfectly, taking a side-on catch just inside the rope. As his momentum carried him over, he showed great presence of mind — tossing the ball up mid-air, stepping out, regaining balance, and then diving back in to complete the catch. The effort left the Adelaide crowd and even Axar Patel stunned, adding another highlight to Starc’s already decorated ODI career.
— crictalk (@crictalk7) October 23, 2025
At the time of Axar’s dismissal, India were 245/8 in the 48th over, with Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana trying to push the score past 260. Earlier, India endured a poor start after losing Shubman Gill (9) and Virat Kohli (0) in the same over to Xavier Bartlett. However, Rohit Sharma (73) and Shreyas Iyer (61) revived the innings with a crucial 118-run stand before both fell in quick succession.
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Despite promising starts from several batters, India’s middle and lower order struggled against Australia’s disciplined bowling attack. Washington Sundar (12), KL Rahul (11), and debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy (8) couldn’t convert their starts as India stumbled from 135/2 to 226/8 — leaving the tail to fight for a competitive finish in Adelaide.
