22-yr-old cricketer breaks 141-year-old record
If the opening day of the action-packed Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener was all about Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling masterclass, Australia’s Todd Murphy hogged the limelight by staging an epic comeback for the visitors at Nagpur on Friday. Murphy made his Test debut alongside India’s Suryakumar Yadav and KS Bharat in the 1st Test of the four-match series. Leading the bowling attack of the Baggy Greens on a turning Nagpur pitch on Day 2 of the encounter, the Aussie youngster bagged a stunning five-wicket haul in the 1st innings at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium.
Murphy’s selection has paid Australia rich dividends as the debutant bagged crucial wickets of KL Rahul (20), Cheteshwar Pujara (7), Virat Kohli (12), Srikar Bharat (8) and Ravichandran Ashwin (23) in the 1st Test of the four-match series. Rewriting history in the oldest and longest format of the game, Murphy has achieved a first in 141 years to record a remarkable feat against Rohit Sharma’s Team India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener at Nagpur.
Joining the likes of Scott Boland, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, and Nathan Lyon on the list of Australian players with five-wicket hauls on debut, Murphy has become the 35th Aussie star to take a fifer in his first international appearance. Murphy has also become the first Australian spinner to secure a five-wicket haul before his 23rd birthday since 1882.
The 22-year-old is the youngest Australian spinner to take a 5-wicket haul on his Test debut. Murphy is one of four spinners named in Australia‘s Test squad for the high-profile series against hosts India. Murphy had played only seven first-class matches before his Test debut in the series opener between Australia and India on Thursday.
After Ravindra Jadeja-inspired India bowled out Australia for 177 in the 1st innings, Indian skipper Rohit slammed a sensational century on Day 2 of the Nagpur Test. Veteran opener Rohit has become the first Indian captain to score centuries in all three formats of the game. The senior batter smashed 120 off 212 balls in India’s first essay at Nagpur. Delivering the goods with the bat, all-rounder Jadeja slammed a sublime half-century as India extended its lead to over 100 runs before the end of the day’s play at Nagpur.
