Uncapped spinner gets nod as Aussie Test squad for India named

Australia’s Test squad for a four match tour of India has been named with uncapped spinner Todd Murphy named in the 18-man touring party.

Peter Handscomb, Mitchell Swepson, Lance Morris and Matthew Renshaw have also been named in the squad, with the four Test series due to kick off on February 9.

Australia should face a much sterner test in India after thrashing the West Indies and South Africa (both 2-0) over the summer, with both series largely uncompetitive.

The 18 man squad named will still be led by Pat Cummins, with Steve Smith taking up the vice captaincy role.

The biggest news coming from the announcement is the inclusion of Murphy, who has bolted into the Test squad with strong performances against the West Indies in a Prime Minister’s XI match, as well as taking 7 wickets in a match for Victoria against New South Wales.

“Todd Murphy has progressed quickly having impressed in domestic cricket and recently with Australia A. With those performances Todd has emerged as a strong spin option,” Selection Chair George Bailey said.

“Selection in this squad also provides another opportunity to spend time alongside Nathan Lyon and assistant coach Daniel Vettori in India which will be invaluable to his development.”

Fellow spinners Swepson and Ashton Agar have been named in the squad as options for the Australian side, alongside Nathan Lyon. With the pending return of Cameron Green to the Test side, and with spinning wickets expected in India, there is a possibility that three of the four spinners in the squad could play.

The selections of Murphy, Agar and Swepson have surprised some, with recent discussion being around Australian white ball bowler Adam Zampa possibly being included. Zampa’s most recent four day match was for New South Wales against Victoria where he took three wickets for 57 runs in 18 overs in the first innings.

Batters Handscomb and Renshaw have also been named in the Test squad, with both known for their ability to play spin bowling well. And while their mid-20s averages against India are underwhelming, both have continued to develop.

The one omission from the Australia squad at the expense of Renshaw and Handscomb has been Marcus Harris.

Mitchell Starc has also been named in the squad but ruled out of the first Test in India due to his finger injury sustained in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.

Rewards have also been given to strong performers of the Australian squad in the last two years, with Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head all named, despite a history of struggles against spin bowling.

The upcoming tour of India is crucial to Australia’s hopes of playing in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final at The Oval in June. Australia is at the top of the WTC ladder, with India in second, but another seven nations are a mathematical chance of making the final.

To ensure their position in the Final, Australia needs the West Indies to beat South Africa in the West Indies, while inaugural champions New Zealand need to beat Sri Lanka in New Zealand.

Australian online bookmakers currently do not have any odds available for the series against India, although these should be released soon.

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