Australia's Mitchell Starc, left, after getting the wicket of India's Ravichandaran Ashwin, right, on day four of the second cricket Test in Brisbane. Source: AP

Mitchell Starc celebrates after dismissing Ravichandran Ashwin. Source: Getty Images

Murali Vijay of India is bowled by Mitchell Starc during day three. Source: Getty Images

Mitchell Starc after dismissing Murali Vijay of India during day three of the second Test. Source: Getty Images

Storms roll in fast, such as the one that put on a show bigger than a certain Victorian all-rounder on Thursday evening.

The Gabba pitch was the fastest we will see this series after Perth’s relegation.

Shane Warne had a great record here but he is an outlier on a ground where the fast man — aka Mitchell Johnson — is king.

And the game can move fast at the Gabba, just as it did today, just as it did in its seismic shift yesterday.

In this Mitchell Starc was the game in miniature. Written off by many the day before, Starc broadened the breach made by Steve Smith to make 52 and power Australia to a 97-run lead.

Starc’s union with fellow Blue and fellow southpaw Josh Hazlewood was especially deflating for the opposition; last-wicket stands always are.

Then the towering left-hander bowled the in-form Murali Vijay last night then backed up today by knocking over Ravi Ashwin just as the Indian all-rounder looked to be building an innings.

In going for 83 from 17 first-innings overs, Starc inadvertently created an off-field storm over whether Shane Warne had or had not described the quick as soft.

He was bowling fast enough — routinely breaking the all-important 140km/h mark — but lacked consistency of line and length on a pitch that punishes the wayward bowler.

He came back and came back fast after he appeared certain to be dropped — again — for the Boxing Day Test.

The left-armer was unlucky to miss Melbourne two years ago when he was perhaps the most celebrated victim of the rotation policy.

After taking a bag of wickets in Hobart, Starc was deemed to be in the dreaded potential injury zone, so was rested.

He has never played a Boxing Day Test.

But his resilience in his match of two halves might have earned a lifeline and a long-overdue Boxing Day berth.

“Mitch when he’s on he’s a very good bowler,” Smith said after play today.

“For him it’s just about finding that happy medium where he gets his line and length right but still bowls at a good pace.

“Sometimes he might try a little bit too hard and sometimes he might just kind of put it there.

“He needs to find a happy medium where he can get a little bit of both and help build a bit of pressure, particularly on wickets like this one out here.”