Aus offie Murphy relishing battles with India batters

AHMEDABAD: Rookie Australia off-spinner Todd Murphy is relishing his “daunting” battles with the India batters, especially Virat Kohli, having dismissed the superstar thrice in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Murphy and another greenhorn spinner, left-armer Matt Kuhnemann, have done the job for Australia in the series so far, ably supporting veteran Nathan Lyon. The 22-year-old Murphy has picked up 11 wickets in three Test matches at an average of 21.81 and an economy of 2.61. He scalped only one in Indore, trapping Kohli from around the wicket in the first innings, but maintained pressure by stemming the flow of runs.

“It (battle with Kohli) has been awesome. When I look back at 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. It was no different bowling to a lot of the guys (Indians). When they stand there, it is daunting at times,” Murphy told reporters ahead of the final Test here.

Kohli was looking good in Indore before Murphy got one to turn back sharply from off-stump. In his attempt to play across the line, the former India captain missed the ball to be adjudged lbw.

“It is always nice when it looks like that. And I think the plans for around the wicket are always to challenge both the edges. For that to work out the way it did was nice and to get him out again was awesome,” said Murphy.

In the second and third Tests, Australia played three specialist spinners and though not used to that back home, Murphy is not complaining. “It is something I have never really experienced, playing with two other frontline spinners. Steve [Smith] talked about it before the last Test, it is about putting your ego away and knowing that you are going to bowl short spells at times.

“It does not mean you are not bowling well, it is probably just accepting and knowing that at certain times you are going to be playing different roles. It has been enjoyable and we have been able to work off each other well. We are quite different,” said Murphy.