England`s Test series win is a big encourgement for us: Starc

Chennai: Left-arm seamer Mitchell Starc feels that Australians can take a lot of encouragement from the performance of the England team against India and especially James Anderson`s effective use of the old ball, ahead of their four-match series that starts here on Friday.

"Yeah sure, but they are still a dangerous line-up and they are playing at home," 23-year-old Starc said when asked about whether they have taken a cue from India`s series loss against Alastair Cook`s men. "They will know the conditions a lot better than we will. I think we will a take a lot out of that India-England series. We have watched a lot of footage and how England went about their job against the Indian line-up. I enjoyed how James Anderson & Co used the reverse swing and that`s something that we are going to have to do," said Starc, who has taken 28 wickets in seven Tests so far. The youngster feels that since Indian batsmen play spin well and Australia`s strength is their pace attack, they should "try to maximise" their strengths. "We need to take early wickets, bowl natural swing at the top. But I think reverse swing bowling will be crucial along with spin. We need to bowl well in tandem and bowl in good partnerships. We have a few guys who can look after it (shining the ball); "We can look to bowl cross seam or with the rough outside up. We have got to what works so that we can get that reverse swing going. India is a place where there is not going to be much assistance for any of the fast bowlers. There will be reverse swing happening." Starc has earlier been to Chennai with the New South Wales squad for the Champions League and hopes that the experience of spending time in the city will help him during the Test. "Well, I came to India during the Champions League. During that Champions League tour, I obviously spent a lot of time in Chennai, so it`s good to be back here. It will be a great experience for Patty (Pattinson) and myself." Starc revealed that bowling alongside Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle has been a learning experience for him. "I am still one of the younger guys in the bowling attack and learnt a lot from Peter Siddle and Mitchell Johnson. While Mitch is bowling really fast and breaking thumbs, Siddle is someone who can hold up one end and insert some energy. So we all offer a lot. Hopefully, we can bowl them out and get 20 wickets in every Test." "The wickets here obviously don`t offer much to the fast bowlers like in some other places in the world, Australia included. Mitchell has been here a few times and I have taken a lot out of his book, and from Siddle`s too. Also others like Michael Clarke and Shane Watson have been here before. So learning from them is going to help us a lot." Just like his skipper Clarke has said a few days ago. Starc also feels that patience is key to being successful in the sub-continent. "It`s more about patience for a fast bowler in India. It`s not going to happen as quickly as it might on sporting wickets like in Australia. But I think we have a core group of bowlers who can do a lot of different things and any combination of any given day could perform well." Starc knows the history and importance of the India versus Australia rivalry and knows the magnitude of the event. "It`s a massive series. It`s a great rivalry. It`s a huge test for any player to come and do well here. We spoke about how we have not often won Test series in India. It`s important that we start well. It might be a bit heated throughout the tournament. Both teams are going to push the line but won`t overstep it. The series has to be played in the right spirit." Left-arm seamers are known to experiment with various techniques but Starc doesn`t belong to that league. "I have not changed too much in my technique. I think the biggest thing for me that natural running technique. I have had a few people helping me. In England, I had Yorkshire coach Jason Gillespie while I?ve had Troy Cooley back home in Australia and also Ali de Winter who is the bowling coach of our team." Starc`s girlfriend Alyssa Healy was a part of the victorious Australian women`s cricket team and cricketer is happy to have a partner who has an understanding of his craft. "I went to Mumbai for a couple of days to just catch up with her (girlfriend Alyssa Healy). It`s good to have someone who understands what you are doing because she also plays the same game," he concluded. PTI