IND v AUS 2020: How Mitchell Starc benefitted from switching off social media

Mitchell Starc has been phenomenal across all formats since the start of 2019, and credits a newly adopted mindset for upping his game. Since the end of Australia’s dismal series against India in 2018-19, Starc has 45 wickets from eight Tests at an average of 18.42.

All this began when Mitchell Starc deleted his social media apps on January 2, 2019, to cut the outside noise, and decided to stop being motivated by the desire to prove people wrong.

Speaking to ESPNCricinfo’s The Cricket Monthly, Starc revealed:

“I just felt I probably tuned into the noise too much, and I guess I went from someone who didn’t mind seeing or reading that sort of stuff and taking that as motivation to prove people wrong or take it as a bit of a ‘f*** you’. Just with having multiple broadcasters and a whole bunch of radio and print and the rest, I probably read into that noise a bit too much.”

Mitchell Starc was heavily criticized after he failed to make an impact against India during the home season in 2018-19. He claimed 13 wickets (the least by any Australian bowler) in the series at 34.54.

“The expectations on the group, media-wise, were huge. I think I just found it was a lot of unnecessary time spent thinking about it or reading about it.

“Going from someone who saw that as a motivation to prove people wrong, I probably bought into the noise too much, or started digging myself a bigger hole if I wasn’t bowling the way I wanted to.

“Certainly, throughout that series as well … I felt like I had 47 different bowling coaches at one point and all these different opinions that I just didn’t need to listen to.”

Shutting social media helped Mitchell Starc

The 30-year-old revealed how shutting social media helped him not care anymore.

“Since then, I’ve basically gotten off Twitter and not reading anything really, and not really caring what other people’s opinions are. It’s just had me in a clearer mindset to focus on what I can control and bowl the way I want to bowl,” he said. “That’s certainly how I’ve approached it since and having people I trust around me, whether it’s talking to Alyssa (Healy, his partner) or having conversations with ‘Dre (Andre Adams) or the staff around the group, or the players.”

Adams, the New South Wales (NSW) bowling coach, helped Starc develop into a better bowler, both, mentally and physically. The former New Zealand all-rounder has been widely praised for his work with Sean Abbott and Harry Conway.

One of Mitchell Starc's most high-profile criticisms came in 2014 from Shane Warne. The legendary spinner slammed Mitchell Starc’s body language on the opening day of the Brisbane Test against India. Warne termed it “soft.” The comments created controversy and led to his emotional reaction after claiming the in-form Murali Vijay in the Sydney Test. Mitchell Starc used those comments as a motivation for the remainder of the summer, eventually helping Australia win the World Cup as he bagged the Player of the Tournament award.

Mitchell Starc had a dismal outing against India in the ODIs and will look to make amends in the longer format. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy commences from Thursday with the day-night Test at Adelaide Oval, and Starc’s form in Tests will be critical to Australia’s chances of reclaiming the trophy and continuing their supremacy at the top of the World Test Championship points table.