"He is also someone who can be very expensive from time to time" - Aakash Chopra on Mitchell Starc retiring from T20Is

Former India player Aakash Chopra has expressed surprise about Mitchell Starc's decision to retire from T20Is ahead of next year's T20 World Cup. However, he acknowledged that the Australian seamer can prove very expensive at times in the shortest format.

Starc recently announced his retirement from T20Is. However, the 35-year-old will continue to represent Australia in Tests and ODIs and be available for franchise leagues.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener was asked whether Starc made the right call in retiring from T20Is.

"To each his own. Personally, I am still not convinced that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma did the right thing by leaving Tests. In my opinion, they should have continued playing Tests and left ODIs if they wished, because ODIs don't happen much. Otherwise, they could have continued playing ODIs as well. They had already left T20Is," Chopra responded (4:00).

"I am a little surprised. Mitchell Starc could have played a World Cup and said goodbye after that, but he didn't wait for the World Cup. To be fair, he hasn't played too many T20Is. He is an absolute gun bowler, but he is also someone who can be very expensive from time to time. You see how and wow with him many times in the shortest format," he added.

Mitchell Starc picked up 79 wickets at an average of 23.81 in 65 T20Is. He has a decent overall economy rate of 7.74.

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"The Australian and English cricketers don't say goodbye to the Ashes so early" - Aakash Chopra on the potential reason behind Mitchell Starc's T20I retirement

Mitchell Starc will likely be an integral part of the Australian bowling lineup in the Ashes later this year. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra opined that Mitchell Starc might have retired from T20Is to prolong his Test and ODI career, highlighting the significance of the Ashes and ODI World Cups for Australian and English cricketers.

"Everyone has their own choice, and I feel the Australian and English cricketers don't say goodbye to the Ashes so early. It's a question of tradition. They are hard-wired in such a way that the Ashes are very, very important, and the ODI World Cup is very, very important. That's how you grow up," he said (4:45).

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the left-arm seamer can continue to play franchise leagues for financial reasons.

"You have T20 leagues to earn money. So that could be a thought process. The thought process that is right for them might not be right for us, but you should keep playing Test cricket as long as you can because too many ODIs aren't played these days," Chopra observed.

Mitchell Starc was acquired by the Delhi Capitals (DC) for ₹11.75 crore at the IPL 2025 auction. He was the franchise's second-highest wicket-taker this season, picking up 14 wickets at an economy rate of 10.16 in 10 innings.