[WATCH] 176.5 kph delivery!! Did Mitchell Starc bowl fastest ball to Rohit Sharma during AUS vs IND 1st ODI?

As of now, Shoaib Akhtar has the world record of the fastest ball in international cricket when he went after England’s Nick Knight with a 161.3 kph delivery during the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. But if the images are to be believed from the broadcaster’s graphic, then Australia’s Mitchell Starc broke the record comfortably during the opening ODI against India at the Optus Stadium in Perth.

On the first ball of the three-match series, Starc hurled it short to Rohit Sharma, who was back in the Indian side since the final of the Champions Trophy 2025 against New Zealand. The batter pushed it down the ground and came for a quick single to open the account.

See Also: [WATCH] Shreyas Iyer’s short ball issue continues with another failure during AUS vs IND 1st ODI

However, the speed gun graphic displayed a staggering 176.5 kph or 109 mph, which was clearly a mistake. They cleared it up later as the graphics confirmed it was actually 140.8 kph or just over 87 mph, which was near to what Starc bowls at in the format.

Watch: Mitchell Starc’s 176 kph opening delivery to Rohit Sharma during AUS vs IND 1st ODI in Perth

It would be super human to bowl at that pace. Even for a batter, it wouldn’t be possible to come close playing the ball. The former captain of the ODI side of the Indian team, however, looked quite comfortable in guiding the delivery into the leg side. There were biomechanics where in the net session, they bowl at that pace, but it’s not easy for any bowler to repeat the feat.

India lost Rohit juts a few overs later as he got an outside edge into the hands of the slip fielder against Josh Hazlewood. Starc, on the other hand, sent back Virat Kohli for an eight-ball duck as the batter went for the drive away from his body and found the backward point fielder.

Shubman Gill, the newly appointed captain, also got back to the dressing room. Shreyas Iyer also experienced the same fortune after the two-hour rain break, as India found themselves 52/4 in 16.4 overs.