[Watch] Todd Murphy completes maiden 5-wicket haul by winning battle of debutants against KS Bharat in IND vs AUS 1st Test
Todd Murphy completed his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket by picking up KS Bharat's wicket in Nagpur during the first India-Australia Test. The Australian spinner hadn't taken five wickets in a first-class innings before this game.
Murphy received his maiden Test cap at the VCA Stadium for the series opener of the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The off-spinner opened his account on day one by picking up KL Rahul's wicket in the third session. Earlier on day two, he dismissed night-watchman Ravichandran Ashwin and then sent Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli back to the dressing room.
KS Bharat was Todd Murphy's fifth victim. The Indian debutant attempted to defend a delivery from Murphy, but the ball missed the bat and hit the pads. Australia appealed for LBW, which the umpire turned down.
Captain Pat Cummins asked for a DRS, which saw the decision being overturned. You can watch the video here:
KS Bharat had an opportunity to play a big knock on his Test debut. However, the wicket-keeper returned to the dressing room after scoring eight runs off 10 balls.
Todd Murphy achieves his best bowling figures in first-class cricket
Prior to his Test debut at the VCA Stadium, Murphy had played seven first-class matches, with his best bowling figures being 4/42. The off-spinner had recorded three four-wicket hauls in red-ball cricket, but he could never complete a five-wicket haul.
In the ongoing match between India and Australia, Murphy has already completed his five-wicket haul. He has bowled 29 overs, and his figures are 5/68 at the time of writing.
India still have three wickets in hand. It will be interesting to see if Murphy can add more wickets to his tally. You can follow the live scorecard of this match right here.
Will India take a first-innings lead of 200 runs? Share your views in the comments below.