'That gave me the confidence I needed' - Todd Murphy credits stint with A team after dream debut

The Australian team might be under the pump in the ongoing first Test against hosts India in Nagpur, but debutant Todd Murphy can hold his head high after a memorable second day. The 22-year-old victorian has looked a cut above his teammates and has credited his stint with Australia A team while on a tour of Sri Lanka in 2022.

Australia's bespectacled youngster, who made his debut in front of his family at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, came into the game with just a handful of matches under his belt in the domestic circuit. However, the off-spinner has shown tremendous guile and discipline, overshadowing his senior bowling partner Nathan Lyon on a spin-friendly surface.

After his brilliant fifer on debut, the youngster conceded that it was the tour of Sri Lanka in 2022 with the A side, which gave him the confidence of playing first-class cricket in Australia.

"One of the biggest things for me was getting to go to Sri Lanka and being on that A tour and having a little bit of success over that probably gave me the confidence I needed going back to Australia that I could mix it with first-class cricketers," Murphy said after Stumps on Day 2.

It's been a pretty special couple of days: Murphy

The offie accounted for massive scalps of Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara on debut and completed his five-for after dismissing another debutant KS Bharat. Talking about his experience of bowling to the Indian batters, Murphy revealed it wasn't easy as they are quite good with their hands and make it tough for the slower bowlers.

"I haven't bowled to a lot of people from around the world but I think the Indian guys, they use their hands really well. They get their hands out in front of their pads and they have got a lot of scoring options too. So (it's) always a really difficult challenge there. And it was quite tough.

"It's been a pretty special couple of days 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 for the rest of my life and be proud of," Murphy added.

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