Australia’s Todd Murphy is in the frame for the first Test match against India in Nagpur which kicks starts on Thursday (February 9) at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium. If this is the case he will become the 465th player to earn the Baggy Green cap for the Aussies as they try to end their 19-year wait for a Test series win on Indian soil. On the flip side, Peter Handscomb could also feature for the first time in four years. Peter Handscomb made a dream start to his Test career in November 2016.
After a 54 in his maiden Test against South Africa, he hit a century in his next against Pakistan. The right-hand batter from Victoria went on to score another half-century before registering his highest Test score of 110 against Pakistan. Such was his form that he could not be dismissed below 50 in any of his first seven innings from four matches. He was the first player in Test history to do so.But a poor Ashes series in 2017-18 cost him his place Even though he kept making it to the squad, unimpressive outings meant he failed to cement his place with his last match being the Sydney Test against India in January 2019. Since his debut a little over six years ago, he has played only 16 Tests so far out of 54. Incidentally, the 31-year-old has played the most number of Tests (seven) against India so far. As luck would have it, Handscomb may again make it to the playing XI with Cameron Green unlikely to feature in the Nagpur Test.Green, the batting all-rounder, fractured his finger during the Boxing Day Test against South Africa. He hurt it again during the camp in Alur, Bengaluru before travelling to Nagpur with the team on Monday. Green did not bat during the visitors' first training session at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Jamtha on Tuesday.
