Mitchell Starc's Emergence as a Great and the Day He Dazzled Sachin Tendulkar

Ricky Ponting has some authority when he talks about the telltale signs of greatness in a cricketer. The great Australian skipper has talked about a defining moment that confirmed just how great Mitchell Starc was to become. It dated back to 2012 in a blistering Test match between Australia and India at Perth's WACA. At the time Starc was only gaining his feet in Test cricket. It was just his third Test but already it was obvious to all watching that he possessed something special. In the course of the game, Starc bowled a ball which left none other than Sachin Tendulkar agog and for Ponting it was the precise moment when he knew Starc was going to be special.

Ricky Ponting recollected the bowling clearly. Starc sent down a short-pitched delivery which jumped sharply and got under the armpit of Tendulkar. The iconic Indian batsman who was hardly ever unsettled barely managed to deflect it to short leg. That fleeting moment served to make one sit up. Ponting described that in a moment like that when someone as great as Tendulkar gets troubled by a bowling it reassures you that the bowler has something truly special. That was the assurance the team had of Starc's natural pace bounce and ability.

Since then Starc has established an incredible career for a few fast bowlers. He has just joined the ranks as the second-quickest bowler in history to reach 400 wickets in Test cricket. While playing a recent Test against West Indies in Jamaica he achieved the milestone with ease completing with mind-boggling figures of 6 wickets for a mere 9 runs. He took only 15 deliveries to attain a five-wicket haul employing the pink Dukes ball to its full potential. The West Indies team disintegrated to only 27 runs in that innings one of the lowest scores in their cricketing history and Starc was in the middle of it.

Mitchell Starc is also among a select group of fast bowlers who have played 100 Test matches and have picked over 400 wickets. But it's not all about the figures. His career spanning the past 16 years in 292 international games has established him as a modern-day legend of cricket. From his imposing 6 foot 5 stature to his scorching speed Starc has repeatedly haunted batters across the globe. He has frequently recorded speeds of high 140s and occasionally even reached 150 with no hesitation to spare even the most seasoned batters. His tendency to swing the new ball back into right-handers has made him a perennial danger particularly at the start of the innings.

Ricky Ponting is of the opinion that anyone who has watched Starc in the initial years could already sense that he was going to be special. He was tall quick and possessed natural ability to get batters in trouble. With years he just improved. It is based on Ponting that what has made Starc even more threatening in recent years is not only his pace but also how his skills are increasing and he is learning about the game. He has developed mentally and physically. He now better knows his body and understands how to handle himself and has come up with new variations to continue developing as a bowler.

One of the most important things that have happened in Starc's bowling is the employment of the wobble seam or the three-quarter seam delivery. It may appear to be a minor adjustment but it has injected a tremendous amount of uncertainty into his bowling. This little adjustment has made his inswingers more effective and introduced variety into his spells. It is no longer just the old raw pace Starc has become a smarter and more well-rounded fast bowler.

Starc's roll of honor is long. He is a two-time ICC Cricket World Cup champion in the 50-over format a T20 World Cup title winner and a World Test Championship title winner. With 725 international wickets across all formats he has emerged as one of the best fast bowlers Australia has ever seen. His consistency across formats and tournaments depicts just how much Australian cricket has benefitted from him over the years.

Ricky Ponting's respect for Starc is not only about the numbers but also about the hunger and dedication that Starc displays even after all these years. With all that he has already accomplished Starc still works hard. He keeps learning keeps enhancing and keeps introducing new weapons into his bowling kit. That desire to improve and grow is what differentiates the good players from the great ones and Starc is certainly one of them.

From the first time he got the ball to leap at Sachin Tendulkar to the