Perth, October 19, 2025: Australia’s pace ace Mitchell Starc caused a stir during the first ODI against India at Perth Cricket Stadium on Sunday when one of his deliveries was clocked at an astonishing 176.5 km/h — before it was later confirmed as a speed gun error.
Starc’s opening ball to Indian captain Rohit Sharma briefly set social media abuzz, with fans speculating that he had shattered Shoaib Akhtar’s world record of 161.3 km/h, set in 2003. Match officials, however, quickly clarified that the radar reading was inaccurate due to a technical malfunction.
In the rain-shortened 26-over match, India posted 137, with KL Rahul top-scoring with 38 off 31 balls.
Starc struck early, removing Virat Kohli for a duck — his first in ODIs on Australian soil — when the Indian star edged a length delivery to Cooper Connolly at backward point. Earlier, Rohit Sharma had fallen to Josh Hazlewood for 8 off 14, leaving India reeling at 13-1.
Starc finished with figures of 1 for 22 in six overs, reaffirming his status as one of the most feared new-ball bowlers in world cricket. The dismissal also made him only the second bowler, after England’s James Anderson, to dismiss Kohli for a duck twice in international cricket.
