Feeling the heat in more ways than one, Mitchell Starc has been described as “soft” by Shane Warne before succumbing to scorching Gabba conditions in the second Test against India.

Warne applied the blowtorch to the depleted Australian attack, saying the first day action showed just how much they missed recovering quick Ryan Harris.

But he seemed to want to make left-arm quick Starc sweat the most as the Australian attack at one stage became a case of last man standing in the Gabba heat.

The lanky Starc had forced his way back into the team and was expected to exploit the Gabba’s traditionally bouncy deck.

But instead of the Indian batsmen, the talented but erratic Starc only seemed to trouble Warne.

“He has to change his body language, it needs to be stronger – he looks a bit soft,” Warne said on Channel Nine.

“He needs to puff his chest out a bit, look harder.”

Former Test teammate Michael Slater added: “He needs to find his hostility.”

Warne did get some heat – from Starc’s partner, Australian women’s cricketer Alyssa Healy.

“Any danger of something positive,” the niece of Warne’s Channel Nine commentating teammate and ex-Test keeper Ian Healy tweeted.

Starc later wilted in the sweltering Gabba heat with temperatures pushing 35 degrees in the shade.

He left to receive treatment and later returned as Australian staff worked overtime to keep their attack in one piece.

Allrounder Mitch Marsh broke down with a hamstring complaint before Test debutant Josh Hazlewood received treatment for cramp.

Marsh had earlier celebrated his drought-breaking first Test wicket when he had Shikhar Dhawan caught behind for 24.

It took him 346 balls to nab his first scalp – the only Australians who took longer were Ian Chappell (540 balls) and Kerry O’Keeffe (424).

Still, Warne said Starc’s wayward spells showed just how much Australia needed injury-plagued spearhead Harris.

The 35-year-old Harris is expected to be welcomed back for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne after resting a quad complaint.

“You take people for granted but you realise just how good he is when he is not there,” Warne said of Harris.

“Very rarely is he not all over you.

“When you are bowling erratically the batsmen can just let them go.

“But when a bowler is at you all the time it tests technique.”

Harris said he had been a 50-50 prospect of playing the second Test.

“I was close,” he told Channel Nine.

“I hurt my leg in the middle of the last day (of the first Test) and didn’t think it was too bad.

“But I tried to bowl the other day and still felt the pain.

“I was 50-50, but I didn’t want to risk potentially damaging my leg even more.”