Australia could be about to pull off one of the biggest selection surprises in more than a decade when the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy gets underway in Nagpur on Thursday.
Uncapped off-spinner Todd Murphy’s chances of a debut are firming in the lead-up to the match on what is expected to be a spinner’s paradise as the Australians toss up several possible line-ups in the series opener.
With all-rounder Cameron Green unlikely to be fit, the Aussies could field an XI with five frontline bowlers with left-arm spinner Ashton Agar batting at No.7
Or they could opt to retain Queensland left-hander Matt Renshaw at six and play just four specialists bowlers with Murphy replacing Agar as Nathan Lyon’s spin partner backing up the new-ball duo of captain Pat Cummins and Scott Boland.
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The Roar understands that Murphy’s father has flown to India but whether he will be watching the 22-year-old Victorian make his debut this week remains to be seen.
Todd Murphy bowls during a net session in Nagpur. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
With just seven first-class matches under his belt, picking Murphy would be arguably the boldest selection call by Australia since they gambled on Lyon in Sri Lanka in 2011 when he had just five matches on his resume.
None of the Indian batters have faced Murphy, who is seen as a different kind of spinner to Lyon even though they both bowl offies.
Cummins is due to hold his pre-game press conference at 4pm AEDT but after refusing to divulge his final XI last month for the SCG Test when there was conjecture about whether Agar would be included, he is likely to do the same this time around, particularly with the stakes so high.
Australia and India are at the top of the World Test Championship rankings and are all but certain to face off in the final at The Oval in London in June after this four-match series.
Agar went wicketless in his return to Test cricket at Sydney while Murphy has been one of the stars of the Sheffield Shield this summer, taking 14 wickets at 17.71 as well as an eye-catching 3-27 for the Prime Minister’s XI in the first innings against the West Indies.
Green’s likely absence due to a finger injury is a body blow for the tourists and vice-captain Steve Smith all but admitted the West Australian star’s hopes of featuring in Nagpur were over.
“I don’t think he’s even faced fast-bowling yet, so I dare say he won’t be playing, but who knows,” Smith said on Tuesday.
“I don’t even know what he’s done (at training), I was sort of focusing on my work. We’ll wait and see but it’s unlikely I think.”
Green’s absence is a further blow to Australia’s pace stocks, with Mitchell Starc (broken finger) and Josh Hazlewood (achilles) – who have taken 526 Test wickets between them – also sidelined.
Renshaw, who was David Warner’s opening partner on Australia’s last tour to India in 2017, went more than four years before adding to his 11 Tests.
The Australians train session at Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground in Nagpur. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
Victorian Peter Handscomb, who also played all four Tests in India six years ago, is also an option to bat at No.6.
Starc, Hazlewood and Green will all be racing the clock to be available for the second Test in Delhi, with just three days in between matches.
Smith indicated the Australians struggled to get a “good gauge” on the pitch but was sure to be a turner.
“Pretty dry, particularly one end,” Smith said. “I think it’ll take a bit of spin, particularly the left-arm spin, and spinning it back into our left-handers. There’s a section there that’s quite dry.
“I don’t think there’ll be a heap of bounce in the wicket and I think it’ll be quite skiddy for the seamers, and maybe a bit of up and down movement as the game goes on. The cracks felt quite loose.”
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