Australia Tour of India 2023: As India name T20 star in the squad for Aussie Tests

As one of four spinners chosen for Australia’s upcoming tour of India, Todd Murphy has bowled his way into the Test team. Murphy has been selected with fellow tweakers Nathan Lyon, Ashton Agar, and Mitchell Swepson despite having no Test experience.

With Marcus Harris absent, Matthew Renshaw and Peter Handscomb have also earned calls ups as Australia attempts to win a series in India for the first time since 2004. The five quicks are Australia’s captain Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, and Lance Morris. Australia is planning to play up to three quicks in some Tests and as little as one in others.

Starc will not play in the opening Test in Nagpur on February 9 due to a finger injury, but he will return to the team later. In contrast, all-rounder Cameron Green will play the entire series despite having a broken finger.

George Bailey, the chief selector, said, “We have chosen a squad that provides the depth and flexibility required to adapt depending on the conditions we may experience.”

Murphy is one of only two players in the group who has never played Test cricket, demonstrating how stable Australia is as a nation. The offspinner made a good impression during Australia A’s tour of Sri Lanka last year and was retained as a backup bowler for the subsequent main Test tour. Since then, he has been a standout in the Sheffield Shield, taking 14 wickets this summer at an average of 17.71 Aussie squad.

Todd Murphy has advanced rapidly after making an impression in domestic cricket and most recently with Australia A, according to Bailey. Todd “has emerged as a strong spin option with those performances.”

Lyon and others have been impressed by those results, and Murphy has a real potential to serve as the second or third spinner in India. Due to his ability to turn the ball the other way, left-armer Agar will probably start the tour as the first-choice backup, but Murphy is still a possibility.

Lyon declared last month, “It’s no secret that I’m really impressed by Todd Murphy. “I’ve worked closely with Todd and spent time with him around the Sixers. He has undoubtedly raised his hand.

“I first bowled with him in the Shield bubble two years ago. He possesses the necessary talents. He must just focus on developing his stock-bowling technique and studying the game’s mental and tactical aspects.

With a long break between the matches, Australia may make additional changes to the lineup between the second Test in Delhi and the third in Dharamsala.

Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Peter Handscomb, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, and David Warner make up the Australian team. Pat Cummins is the captain.

A change was made to this article on January 11, 2023. In an earlier edition, it was claimed wrongly that Todd Murphy was the only current member of the Test squad without a Test cap.