Former India batter Ajay Jadeja was very impressed by Australia debutant Todd Murphy, saying he could step into Nathan Lyon’s shoes in the future. Murphy became the youngest Australian to take a five-wicket haul on his Test debut.
New Delhi,UPDATED: Feb 10, 2023 18:27 IST
Todd Murphy (L) picked up 5 wickets on Test debut (AP)
By India Today Web Desk: Former India batter Ajay Jadeja was very impressed by Australia debutant Todd Murphy, saying he could step into Nathan Lyon’s shoes in the future. Murphy became the youngest Australian to take a five-wicket haul on his Test debut.
Speaking with Cricbuzz, Jadeja was impressed by the fact that Murphy dismissed the likes of Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara on his debut, and said that the 22-year-old will never forget this Test match.
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“The first day of a Test debut is memorable anyway, but Todd Murphy will never forget this Test match. If you look at the wickets he picked up, the names include the likes of Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara. These are players that Australia have found very hard to dismiss in the past. Both Pujara and Kohli don’t get out when they face Australia. So, it was a memorable day for Murphy and I wish all the best for the future,” said Jadeja.
He went on to say that Murphy can step into the shoes of Nathan Lyon in the future for Australia if he continues to perform like this.
“Just one warning, just because you play your first match brilliantly, does not mean your career will follow the same trajectory. Many players have gone through this. But I hope his career is a long one. Nathan Lyon has also played 100-150 Test matches for Australia and I think Murphy can step into Lyon’s shoes in the future for Australia,” Jadeja added.
While comparing Murphy to the legendary Shane Warne, Jadeja said Murphy has got a better start than Warne but the skill gap between the two remains massive for the time being.
“It is hard to compare eras but Shane Warne was hit for a lot of runs in his debut and did not pick any wickets but went on to have a great career. The advantage that Murphy has now is that he has started off very well. The advantage he has on Warne is that he’s started better than him. But the skill gap between the two remains massive for the time being,” said Jadeja.
