"Not sure I'm anything similar to Warnie" - Todd Murphy downplays comparisons with legendary spinner
Australia's off-spin sensation Todd Murphy brushed aside comparisons made by his father Jamie between him and the legendary Shane Warne despite a sensational Test debut in the ongoing contest against India in Nagpur. The 22-year-old thanked his parents for being present at the stadium and taking all the effort to do so.
Murphy has been Australia's standout bowler in this innings and the most incisive among all five, keeping the tourists in the contest after a disappointing batting performance.
The 22-year-old joined an elite list of Australians to claim a fifer on Test debut, dismissing heavyweights like KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Virat Kohli. His fifth scalp was KS Bharat.
TODD MURPHY gets his cap from Nathan Lyon. Family have flown in from Echuca Moana for the event. https://t.co/cFY94KTbwN
Speaking after the second day's play, the Victorian said he doesn't belong anywhere near Warne's category after his father drew comparisons between the two before the Test began. Nevertheless, the youngster stated that this will be a memorable week for his family for the rest of their lives.
As quoted by Perth Now, he said:
"I shook my head when I saw that comparison. I'm not sure I'm anything similar to Warnie. To have them here - it was a pretty hectic couple of days for them to try to get across here, but they've been a part of the journey the whole way for me. Being from country Victoria there's been a lot of hours in the car that they've all put in for me to get the opportunities I've had. To share the week with them is something we're going to all remember forever. It's really special to have them here and they're all enjoying themselves."
The off-spinner staged Australia's fightback on day two after a quiet first hour, getting rid of Ravichandran Ashwin, Pujara, and Kohli within a few overs. By the close of play, he had figures of 36-9-82-5, and hardly bowled a loose ball.
"I took a lot of confidence out of that" - Todd Murphy on Sri Lanka A tour
Murphy credited his performance against India to the Sri Lanka A tour in July 2022 and keeping his self-belief intact. He added:
"Being around some of the guys who had played Test cricket, observing everything and competing in the nets and bowling to the Sri Lankans. I took a lot of confidence out of that and reflected and went back, trusted myself a bit more and thought 'what I've got can be good enough' and believe in that."
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Day two of the Nagpur Test belongs to India!
#WTC23 | #INDvAUS | 📝: bit.ly/3DZiURk https://t.co/BngGvg4p2k
Despite Murphy's fifer, Australia have a mountain to climb in the rest of the Test as India are already ahead of them by 144 runs.