Did Australia pacer Mitchell Starc break Shoaib Akhtar’s world record of fastest ball in history of cricket? Here’s the reality

Originally posted on Crictoday | By V.M.Suriya Narayanan | Last updated Oct 19, 2025 9:51 PM ET

Australia made a perfect start in the opening ODI against India. After deciding to bowl first on a lively pitch, the visitors tore through India’s top order. Rohit Sharma was the first to depart, edging a rising delivery from Josh Hazlewood to the slips. Soon after, Mitchell Starc struck to remove Virat Kohli for a duck, leaving India in trouble.

Starc bowled with fiery pace in his opening spell and looked nearly unplayable. One of his deliveries to Rohit Sharma clocked 176.5 kmph, causing a stir before it was called a speed gun malfunction.

Mitchell Starc with a casual 176.5 kph delivery to start the ODI series. This is why you retire from T20s pic.twitter.com/BMaNyeV4Nd
— Rohit Sankar (@imRohit_SN) October 19, 2025

The rest of India’s batting line-up found it equally tough to deal with the movement. Shubman Gill managed 10 runs, while Shreyas Iyer scored 11 before rain interrupted the game. The Men in Blue managed 136/9 in 26 overs. However, the target was reduced to 131 after considering the Duckworth & Lewis Method.

Australia captain Mitchell Marsh scored an unbeaten 46 runs to lead Australia to a seven-wicket win in 21.1 overs. He was named the Player of the Match for his efforts.

This article first appeared on Crictoday and was syndicated with permission.

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