India vs Australia: Debutant off spinner Todd Murphy had a successful outing on the first day of the Border Gavaskar Trophy, picking up the wicket of KL Rahul.
Nagpur,UPDATED: Feb 9, 2023 17:04 IST
Todd Murphy celebrates his first wicket on Test debut. (AP Photo)
By India Today Web Desk: India batter KL Rahul did not have a good return to international cricket after getting caught and bowled by debutant Todd Murphy, late on Day 1 of the Nagpur Test match. Rahul. who had been on a break to complete familial commitments, scored just 20 runs off 71 balls before lobbing a catch to the young off-spinner on Thursday, 9 February.
India vs Australia, Day 1: Highlights
Murphy toiled hard for 7 overs and gave away 13 runs at the end of day’s play, alongside Nathan Lyon, who looked more threatening of the two, but returned wicket less after Day 1 of the 1st Test match between India and Australia.
KL Rahul did not look comfortable when he came out to bat in the final session of the match, after India were able to bundle out Australia for just 177 runs after opting to bat first. Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne looked good, but both were dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja, another cricketer returning from a layoff, although due to a knee injury that required surgery in 2022.
KL Rahul hit one boundary in his largely defensive innings, where he focused on playing the overs out rather than attacking like India captain Rohit Sharma. The right hander tried to hold fort at one end, but at the end was unsuccessful.
Earlier in the day, India dominated Australia in the first innings, first dismissing their top order in the first 10 minutes of the day, and then picking wickets in a bunch at the later stage of their innings. Only Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne looked comfortable against spin on Day 1, but the rest of the players failed to negotiate the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Ashwin.
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