After his dream debut, Todd Murphy credits his time with the A team with giving him the confidence he needed.

The Australian squad may be struggling in the first Test match against the Indian hosts in Nagpur, but Todd Murphy, a rookie, may be proud of himself after a remarkable second day. The 22-year-old Victorian has stood out from his teammates and attributes this to his time playing for the Australia A squad in Sri Lanka in 2022.

The young Australian with the spectacles, who made his debut in front of his family at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, had only played in a few domestic matches before to this one. On a surface that favours spin, the off-spinner, though, has outperformed his senior bowling partner Nathan Lyon by using great cunning and discipline.

The young player acknowledged that the Sri Lanka trip in 2022 with the A side provided him the confidence to play first-class cricket in Australia after his magnificent five-for on debut.

After Day 2’s play ended, Todd Murphy said, “One of the biggest things for me was getting to go to Sri Lanka, being on that A tour, and having a little bit of success over there. I think that probably gave me the confidence I needed going back to Australia that I could mix it up with first-class cricketers.”

A very remarkable couple of days have just passed: Todd Murphy

The debutant bowler dismissed another debutant, KS Bharat, to clinch his five-for after taking out Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara with ease. When asked about his experience bowling to Indian batsmen, Todd Murphy said it wasn’t simple since they are pretty adept at using their hands, which is difficult for slower bowlers.

“I haven’t bowled against many international opponents, but I think the Indian players use their hands really effectively. They spread their hands in front of their pads and have numerous scoring opportunities. Therefor, it’s always a very challenging challenge. “It’s been a very special couple of days,” Murphy continued, “and to top it off with a five-wicket haul on debut is more than I ever hoped for and it is going to be something that I’ll look back on and be proud of for the rest of my life.”