Starc hopes to 'swing' with SG ball in India

Aware of the range of challenges India will offer during Australia's upcoming four-match Test tour, fast bowler Mitchell Starc says he hopes to extract swing, both conventional and reverse, from the SG balls in spin-friendly conditions there.

India use the SG balls in Tests on their home soil, preferring them over the Kookaburra ball, which feature in most other Test nations including Australia. And, one of

his major focuses during Australia's pre-tour camp here has been getting the feel for a different ball in his hands.

"It's been a while since I have been over there to play red-ball cricket, it's been four years," Starc said after Australia's intra-squad practice match at the ICC Global

Cricket Academy here.

"It's a different ball (there in India), so there are different challenges there to try and get it reversing and to see if it swings when it's brand new," said the left-arm pace

spearhead.

There has been some debate about how to use Starc and fellow quick Josh Hazlewood in India for the Test series beginning on February 23 in Pune.

But, the 27-year-old Starc says he expects captain Steve Smith to use him in short, sharp spells in a bid to maximise his potency against India's batsmen, though

the duration of his bowling stints may be affected by the effectiveness of Australia's slow bowlers.