Todd Murphy targets India A tour to push all-format case

Victorian off-spinner Todd Murphy is determined to use Australia A's upcoming tour of India to build a case for selection across all three international formats. The 25-year-old has been included in both touring squads, which will contest two four-day matches and three one-day games against India A at Puducherry during September and October.

The red-ball and white-ball fixtures together give Murphy and fellow off-spinner Corey Rocchiccioli a combined platform to press their claims before Australia's five-Test series in India scheduled for January and February next year. Murphy's seven Test appearances have all come on foreign soil, beginning with a memorable debut in Nagpur in 2023 when he claimed a seven-wicket haul on his first outing in the Baggy Green.

Murphy is not expected to feature in Australia's Test tour of South Africa next month, with Nathan Lyon available and the pitches there expected to suit seamers. His immediate priority is the A tour, where he hopes strong performances in both formats will shift the selectors' thinking about his international versatility.

Murphy has spoken openly about the value of building familiarity with subcontinental conditions before a full Test tour arrives. Having travelled with Australia to Sri Lanka last year and served as Lyon's understudy during the senior spinner's injury absences, he regards the red-ball A fixtures as essential preparation for what he hopes will be a second Test tour of India.

"Any opportunity to play in those conditions and hone your skills over there is really important. That's the goal of the (A) tours, to give us younger guys opportunities to go over there and become more familiar with the conditions and the environment. If you're lucky enough to go on a Test tour, then that's not the first time you're seeing those conditions. I got plenty out of the one last year and hopefully can build on that again this year," Murphy said, as quoted by Cricket.com.au.

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Murphy's ambitions extend beyond the red ball. He received his first ODI squad call-up in June when he joined Australia's touring party to Bangladesh, and he followed that with an encouraging run in Darwin, taking seven wickets across five matches for the Victoria Academy in the Top End T20 series. His most recent A-team one-day appearance against India produced figures of 4-42, a result that reinforced his ability to contain and take wickets in subcontinental conditions.

Murphy was also restored to Cricket Australia's men's central contract list in April, a recognition of his standing in the national setup ahead of a demanding 2026-27 red-ball calendar. He joined the Australian squad's training camp in Brisbane before the two-Test series against Bangladesh last month, a sign that the selectors regard him as part of the senior environment even when he is not in the playing XI.