Mitchell Starc gifts sets of 'long spikes' to Australian women bowlers 

Australian left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc is earning well-deserved praise for his benevolent gesture to gift 'long spikes' to his female counterparts amid the ongoing pink-ball Test against Mithali Raj's Team India.

Former Australian cricketer-turned-commentator Lisa Sthalekar recently revealed how Starc went out of his way to gift the women pacers pairs of 'long spikes' to ensure they have a different set for varying conditions. Speaking on 7 cricket, Sthalekar said:

"It was actually the first day’s play when Stella [Campbell] was bowling. She had to put a bit of sawdust on [the crease]. The bowlers came off and Starc said, ‘Have you got your long spikes?’"

Sthalekar added:

"The girls were like, ‘Long spikes? We’ve just got our normal spikes.’ So what he did was he actually went out and bought all the bowlers long spikes so they have a different set just in case, depending on the conditions."

The Australian bowling unit endured a tough time during the pink ball Test as an inspired Indian batting unit led by centurion Smriti Mandhana kept them on the field for the better part of three days and as many as 145 overs.

Indian pacers turn the heat on Australian batters on Day 3

Starting Day Three at 276/5, the Indians batted cautiously in the first session as Deepti Sharma racked up a patient half-century. Sharma (66 off 167 balls) added 45 runs in 28 overs with Taniya Bhatiya (22 off 75 balls) before accumulating another 40 runs with Pooja Vastrakar.

The visitors eventually declared at 377/8 with the aim of testing the Aussie batters in the twilight phase. Unlike the Australian pacers, the Indian trio of Jhulan Goswami, Meghna Singh and Pooja Vastrakar used the new pink cherry brilliantly.

The rewards came swiftly as Goswami knocked over both Beth Mooney and Alyssa Healy. While Mooney was knocked over for a 16-ball knock of 4 runs, Goswami set up Healy brilliantly via a string of short deliveries followed by a tempter outside off. The Aussie stumper would go on to nick the delivery to her counterpart.

Vastrakar backed it up with dismissals of Meg Lanning and Tahlia McGrath as Australia finished the day at 143/4 in 60 overs.