Todd Murphy took seven wickets on his debut Test in Nagpur against India. Australia lost that match by an innings and 132 runs.
New Delhi: Former Australia speedster Brett Lee has warned India against a Todd Murphy threat in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy despite the visitors’ dismal performance in the first two Tests. Australia trail the four-match series 0-2, losing both the games inside three days.
India’s 2-0 lead means the hosts retain the Border Gavaskar Trophy fr the fourth successive time. But Lee still believes Australia can make a comeback in the series with third and fourth Tests to be played in Indore and Ahmedabad. The only positive for Australia has been Todd Murphy, who has so far taken 10 wickets in two games.
Praising the youngster on his YouTube channel, Lee stated Murphy can be a true successor for Nathan Lyon, who has been leading Australia’s spin department for years. The 22-year-old took seven wickets on his debut in the Nagpur Test that included the priced wickets of Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja.
“In the only innings that Australia bowled, he picked up 7/124. Five wickets were the wickets of KL Rahul, Ravi Ashwin, Pujara, Virat Kohli, and Ravi Jadeja. What a dream debut it was. He did so in the presence of his family all the way in Nagpur. I expect him to do better in abrasive conditions in India,” Lee stated.
“Who after Nathan Lyon? Well, it looks like they found their answer in the young 22-year-old superstar off-spinner Todd Murphy. What a sensational debut it was for Australia. Australia lost the match by a whopping margin but Todd Murphy made the world sit up and take notice,” he added.
The former pacer also warned the whole world to watch out for Murphy as Lee predicted the off-break spinner to rule the longest format of the game in years to come. “There are a lot of tough series ahead of him. Let’s see if he’s got it or not.
“For the sake of Australian cricket, I really hope the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is the only first chapter of what will be an epic career. Watch out India!,” added Lee.
