Australia's 22-year-old spinner Todd Murphy made a sensational Test debut when he picked up seven wickets in Nagpur Test. Murphy who has dismissed Virat Kohli thrice in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, had to take a back seat with the inclusion of left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann. Ahead of Ahmedabad Test, the young spinner is still coming to terms after winning three battles against an out-of-form Kohli.
"It's been awesome. When I look back to Nagpur when he walked out to bat, I was at the top of my mark thinking this is as good as it gets... getting to bowl to a guy like that.
"So, to be able to have that for the first three Tests has been awesome, a really enjoyable battle and no different to bowling to a lot of their guys. When they stand there it is daunting at times," Murphy told reporters on March 7.
Kohli’s lean patch continued in Indore Test where the Steve Smith-led side in absence of Pat Cummins stunned hosts with a nine-wicket win, wrapping up the game in just seven sessions. Kohli got out lbw to Murphy as he played down the wrong line and contributed to the collapse.
"It's always nice when it looks like that. And I think the plans for around the wicket is always to challenge both sides of the edges, for that to work out the way it did was nice and to get him out again was awesome," said Murphy.
After seven-fer in debut Test, Murphy has taken just four wickets as Kuhnemann and Nathan Lyon have bowled in tandem. Murphy revealed that the stand-in skipper had conversations with Murphy as he did not get enough overs.
"It's something I've never really experienced, playing with two other frontline spinners. Steve (Smith) talked about it before the last Test, it's about putting your ego away and knowing you're going to bowl short spells at times.
"It doesn't mean you're not bowling well, it's probably just accepting that and knowing that at certain times you're going to be playing different roles. It's been enjoyable and we've been able to work off each other very well and we're quite different," he said.
Murphy was not even a part of the state side back home but got his maiden Test callup for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
"We spoke about it after Kuhny (Kuhnemann) debuted (in Delhi). At the start of the season we both weren't in the state sides and to be here now playing Test cricket together is pretty surreal.
"It's happened a lot faster than we both probably expected. We've just tried to enjoy it and the relationship is building nicely. We can talk about spin bowling, what works and what doesn't," he added.
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