5 things you need to know about Todd Murphy, the rookie spinner who wrecked India
Todd Murphy received his maiden Australian Test cap ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series opener against India at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium.
The rookie off-spinner, who did not have a five-wicket haul to his name in first-class cricket, has made a fabulous start to his Test career by scalping five wickets against India.
Murphy opened his account by dismissing KL Rahul caught and bowled yesterday evening. Earlier today, he completed his five-wicket haul by dismissing Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin and KS Bharat.
The Indian team would have prepared for Australia's experienced spinners Nathan Lyon and Ashton Agar, but off-spinner Todd Murphy has surprised them with his performance in Nagpur. So far, he has bowled 27 overs and has figures of 5-68.
On that note, let's have a look at five things you need to know about Australia's new spinner:
#1 Todd Murphy did not have an eventful first-class debut
As mentioned earlier, Todd Murphy grabbed his maiden fifer in red ball cricket today. He played seven first-class games before this outing, registering three four-wicket hauls but not a five-wicket one.
He made his first-class debut for Victoria against South Australia in 2021. In that game, he picked up only one wicket in 47 overs.
#2 Murphy's family travelled a long distance to watch his first game
Most fans present at the VCA Stadium for the ongoing India vs Australia Test match are Indians. There is some support for Australia as well, with some of them being Murphy's family members.
His father, Jamie Murphy, left Moama at 2 am, drove three hours to Melbourne and then flew to Nagpur via Sydney and Bengaluru to watch his son play live. Todd’s brother Joel, uncle Troy, cousin Riley and partner Bec are all present at the venue.
#3 Todd Murphy played for Australia in U-19 World Cup 2020
The U-19 World Cup is considered the first step to greatness for any cricketer. Murphy represented Australia in the ICC U-19 World Cup in South Africa three years ago.
While Australia didn't win the event, Murphy was quite impressive. He picked up four wickets in five games, with his best figures being 2-40.
#4 Murphy's father played with Shane Warne
Todd Murphy's father played with Shane Warne
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Todd's father Jamie Murphy was a cricketer as well. He did not make it to the international level but played with late Australian spinner Shane Warne in Melbourne.
In the early 1990s, Jamie and Warne played for St. Kilda. Jamie even sees a little bit of Warne in his son.
"There's a lot of traits of Warnie in Todd. That never-say-die attitude, that 'we can win from anywhere' attitude. He (Todd) is 'out there' a little bit at times as well," Jamie told cricket.com.au yesterday.
#5 Nathan Lyon has been like a mentor for Murphy
The ongoing Border-Gavaskar series is the first time since 1988 that Australia have picked two specialist off-spinners in their playing XI. One is the seasoned pro Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy is the other.
Lyon has played a big role in Murphy's rise as he spent some time guiding him even before he played first-class cricket. They were together in the Sheffield Shield bubble for the 2020 season.
Moreover, Murphy plays for Lyon's team, Sydney Sixers, in the BBL now. The two off-spinners will be keen to help Australia win the first Test against India.