Mitchell Starc ‘not going to pay attention’ to Shane Warne comments

Starc finished the second Test with match figures of 5-125 as Australia beat India by 146 runs, and drew their five-match series level at 1-1

Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc has said that he has given no thought to Shane Warne’s comments regarding his bowling displays during their Test series against India.

Starc finished the second Test with match figures of 5-125 as the hosts won by 146 runs, and drew the series level at 1-1.

He insisted that the criticism he had received from Warne after the first Test had no impact on his performance.

"He's been on my back since I made my debut, so I don't really care what Shane says," he said.

"I'm not going to pay attention to him. As long as the coach, the captain, the team and the staff are happy with the role I'm playing and I'm doing that job for the team, that's what matters to me.

"People outside can say what they want. They've been on my back for eight years, it's not going to hurt me if they keep going for the next few years anyway."

^{Mitchell Starc recorded match figures of 5-125 in the second Test between Australia and India}

The left-armer suggested that Australia might not need to add a fifth seamer to the squad for the remainder of the series, with the current quartet of Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon (all from New South Wales) working well together.

“Whether we go with five bowlers or four ... you've got Nathan Lyon there doing as well as he has done for a long time," he said.

“It makes our job a lot easier because he'll bowl a lot of overs and he'll either not go for runs or he'll keep taking wickets so for the other three of us to come on at the other end – if it's just four of us – it's something we've done for a while now.

"We've done it for NSW, done it over the years as a group of four.

"We're probably a few of the more experienced guys in the group now. We've sort of learnt along the way and I think it's fantastic the last two weeks how we've gelled together again as a group of four."