Boland provides update on Mitchell Starc's fitness after Day 3 struggle: 'Underestimated for how…'

Australia paceman Scott Boland has provided an update on Mitchell Starc's fitness following a niggle he suffered while bowling on Day 3 of the Boxing Day Test against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. With Josh Hazlewood already ruled out of the Test series due to a side strain, Starc's fitness concerns come as another blow for the Australian team. The team will be hoping for a swift recovery for Starc as they face a challenging situation in the series.

However, Boland revealed that Starc had a niggle, but he is fine and will take part in the rest of the match.

“He’s okay. He just had a bit of a niggle somewhere in his back or rib, I don’t know, somewhere back there, but he came out after the break and was bowling 140km/h, so I think he’s going to be fine,” Boland said in the press conference after the day’s play.

Starc has bowled 25 overs so far in the Test match, but he has failed to take any wickets as the pitch doesn't provide much assistance for the pacers to get the swing.

Boland recalled how in the past Starc showed his fighting spirit a couple of years back at the MCG and bowled 140km/h swingers with a broken finger.

“I think he is underrated for how tough he is. A couple of years ago here at the MCG, he had a broken finger and we’re pretty much planning for him not to bowl at all and then he came out and bowled 140km/h swingers,” Boland said.

‘Mitchell Starc is someone who can play through a lot of pain’

Boland, who replaced Hazlewood in the fourth Test, pointed out Starc's special trait to bowl atb the same space despite having a bit of fitness issues.

“He’s someone who can play through a lot of pain, and you can probably tell (that because) he’s played close to 90 Test matches now. And as a fast bowler, there’s not many games where you do play without any niggle at all. He’s someone who can still bowl at the same pace even when he is really sore, which is a great trait to have,” Boland added.

Meanwhile, despite a rain-affected day at the MCG on Saturday, where Australia managed to pick up only four Indian wickets, Australia still hold a lead of 116 runs. Nitish Kumar Reddy's unbeaten maiden century took India to 358 for nine as rain brought an early end to the third day's play.

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