For Australia A, the purpose of playing two multi-day games against India A at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium was clear: to develop players in subcontinental conditions with an eye on the 2027 Test tour of India.
After two weeks of grind, the squad felt the experience had served its purpose.
Coming from Down Under, wicketkeeper Josh Philippe and off-spinner Todd Murphy agreed the biggest challenge was coping with the heat.
“It was tough work. Even just figuring out how to hold the ball with sweaty hands was a real test,” Murphy said. “Fronting up day in and day out and still trying to put performances together was hard.”
“These were probably the hottest couple of sessions I’ve ever played in. To stay focused through it was a challenge,” Philippe admitted.
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Despite losing the series 0-1 after India A chased down a mammoth 412-run target in the second match on Friday, both Philippe and Murphy had crucial roles in keeping Australia A in the contest.
Philippe, who was named Player of the Series for his 212 runs in three innings — including a blistering 123 not out in the first drawn game — stood out in particular.
It was an impressive return for the 28-year-old, given that this was his first red-ball series in India. Across innings, he attacked the spinners with sweeps and reverse sweeps, unsettling their rhythm.
“Sweeping is one of my strengths, and I practice it a lot,” the 28-year-old said. “Against that rough, it helps smother the spin and keep the scoreboard moving. If you just lunge forward, you bring slips and leg-slips into play. My plan was to keep them out and score freely.”
He also relished the challenge of keeping wickets in these conditions.
“It was unpredictable, with the ball spinning sharply out of the rough. You’re always in the game, with plenty of opportunities. If I get another chance to come here and play, I certainly have some points noted.”
Murphy, unlike Philippe, came with prior experience in India. He made his Test debut during the 2022–23 tour and claimed seven wickets in Nagpur, finishing the series with 14 scalps. On this ‘A’ tour, he took five wickets and felt he made important strides.
“Whenever you come here, you know you’ll have a big role to play,” the 24-year-old said. “From game one to two, there were definite progressions in how I bowled — asking the right questions of batters and creating chances.”
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Both rued missed opportunities after their side squandered a 226-run first-innings lead. Philippe felt the batters needed to stretch the advantage, while Murphy admitted the bowlers didn’t quite finish the job.
“We would’ve liked a few more runs. Ideally, we were looking at 500-plus. That’s the challenge of these conditions — it can be tough to start. Unfortunately, we couldn’t quite get it right and were left with just over 400 on the board,” Philippe said.
“Anytime you’re defending over 400 in these conditions, you’re pretty confident of applying enough pressure to create 10 chances,” Murphy added. “We did create a lot of opportunities, but let ourselves down by not taking them.”
Published on Sep 26, 2025
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