Praising India’s depth of talent, Australia’s star fast bowler Mitchell Starc feels it’s the only nation that can have three different teams playing in three different formats on the same day and still be competitive.

“I think they are probably the only nation that can have a Test team, a one-day team and a T20 team play on the same day against Australia in the Test, England in the one-dayer and South Africa in the T20I; and India will be competitive,” said Starc in a show on YouTube channel ‘FanaticsTV.’

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“No other country can do that,” he added.

Starc also discarded the theory first brought in by his national team skipper Pat Cummins, who felt that India had an advantage of playing all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai. Cummins had claimed India “got that obvious benefit of playing all their games there (Dubai).”

However, he blasted the narrative as he reminded critics that BCCI’s rule bars Indian players from participating in overseas leagues, while cricketers worldwide can play in any league, which allows them to know all the conditions. “I am not sure if it’s an advantage because as cricketers we have got these opportunities to play all franchise (cricket) around the world (but) the Indian guys can only play in the IPL,” Starc said.

“Obviously, it’s the number one product, has got all the Indians playing, and so much influx of international talent. It’s at the top. There’s no doubt that it’s a huge tournament… But I don’t think you can just sit on that because you have guys (players around the world) that play 5-6 different franchise leagues a year, so they are still getting the exposure to world cricket.”

“That (IPL) helps; it’s a great tournament, but obviously you have to have talent there, and the depth in Indian cricket (is huge),” he added.

Starc, who missed the recently-concluded ICC Champions Trophy due to personal reasons, admitted he wasn’t surprised that the Rohit Sharma-led side lifted the trophy after completing an unbeaten run to the title win. However, when asked if they are the best white-ball team ever, he pointed out that they have yet to win the ODI World Cup.

“Not surprised that India won. I’ll be honest here, I did not watch a single ball. I’m not sure I watched much of the Champions Trophy at all. Just bits and pieces of the Aussie games. I played with (Varun) Chakaravarthy with KKR last season, he is a huge talent, an interesting bowler. Now whether they are the best white-ball team ever? The Indian fans will say yes, the Australian fans will probably say no,” Starc added.

Starc, who is the all-time leading wicket-taker in ICC white-ball tournaments, is set to travel to India this week to join Delhi Capitals camp in Visakhapatnam ahead of the team’s first match against Lucknow Super Giants on March 24.

The 2025 season of the IPL begins on March 22 and Starc will be playing for the Delhi Capitals, who bought him for Rs 11.75 crore at the mega players’ auction last November.

KL Rahul is India’s Mr.Fix It

Showering praises on his new Delhi Capitals teammate KL Rahul, Starc labeled the star batter as India’s ‘Mr. Fix-It’ for his role in crucial moments without always being in the spotlight. Starc acknowledged that Rahul might not have been the most talked-about player but his steady performances have made a huge impact, more so in big-ticket tournaments, like the Champions Trophy.

Impressed with Rahul’s ability to adapt to various roles in the Indian team, he termed him Mr Fix-It, given his versatility in opening the innings, batting in the middle order, keeping wickets or contributing as a fielder across formats.

“He’s almost like ‘Mr. Fix-It.’ He’s opened the batting when asked, played at No. 6, kept wickets, fielded, and even ran the drinks. He doesn’t bowl, but apart from that, he’s done just about everything else,” Starc said.

The upcoming 18th edition of the IPL will mark the first time Starc and Rahul share the dressing room and Starc is looking forward to seeing how Rahul operates behind the scenes and what he brings to the squad. “I’ve seen how he plays as an opposition player, but I’m excited to be around him as a teammate and pick his brain. He has played an important role for India in all three formats, and it’ll be great to see what he’s like in the Delhi Capitals setup,” Starc said.