Australia’s teenage spinner Todd Murphy has kept the tourists alive in the first Test, but India’s 144-run lead in Nagpur gives them the upper hand.
Murphy became the 35th Australian to collect a five-wicket haul on their Test debut after dismissing the primary pillars of India’s star-studded batting order in his first seven first-class matches.
However, India ended the second day at 321-7, and the match would have been over if the spectacled Murphy (5-82) hadn’t worked his magic.
Australia would require one of the greatest comebacks of all time to win from their current position, but at least they still have a pulse despite Steve Smith missing two genuine opportunities on Friday, including one off the penultimate ball of the day.
Rohit Sharma smashed 120 runs, his maiden Test century as captain, much to the joy of the home audience.
Before the arrival of Ravi Jadeja (66 not out), Australia was able to minimize the majority of the damage caused by Sharma’s bat.
Jadeja and Axar Patel (not out, 52) will repeat they’re crucial 81-run partnership on Saturday.
When India’s innings began on Friday, the hosts appeared to be on the verge of establishing an unassailable advantage. However, Murphy took the first four wickets of India’s innings.
Before noon on the second day, the 22-year-old had dismissed nightwatchman Ravichandran Ashwin and prolific number three Cheteshwar Pujara, in addition to KL Rahul late on the first day.
Murphy and his family, who flew to India after leaving the Victorian-New South Wales state line three days ago, will never forget his first lunchtime ball.
The Victorian, whose first-class batting average was 25.20, dismissed Virat Kohli, the former captain of India and one of the greatest batsmen of all time.
Alex Carey held onto a difficult opportunity after mishandling the ball, and Kohli was dismissed for just 12 runs.
Murphy’s fifth wicket resulted from a questionable DRS referral, but it was sufficient to dismiss India wicketkeeper, Srikar Bharat.
All four of Australia’s bowlers in this match — Pat Cummins, Scott Boland, and Nathan Lyon — have collected a five-wicket haul in their first Test.
Since Boland’s legendary 6-7 against England at the MCG in 2021, Murphy is the first Australian to reach this milestone.
Murphy’s test debut was difficult not to compare to that of Lyon in 2011 when the senior spinner took 5-34 in Australia’s triumph against Sri Lanka in Galle.
Lyon (1-98) has 461 Test wickets to his credit, but Murphy, who is 13 years his junior, easily outbowled him.
India’s 34-year-old Jadeja has threatened to win the match on his own despite Murphy’s heroics.
In his first Test since undergoing knee surgery in July, Jadeja complemented his 5-47 with the ball by forming crucial partnerships with Sharma and Patel and scoring his 18th half-century.
However, Jadeja earned three strokes of good fortune when the umpire calls off the bowling of Murphy and Cummins kept him from losing his wicket, and then he survived a sharp chance to Smith at the end of the game.
