Ashwin had said last year that the young spinner was "10 to 50 times better" than Nathan Lyon.
In a recent development coming in, the Australian management has revealed that it will be grooming an upcoming spin prodigy to develop his craft and hone his skills.
Interestingly, the spin sensation is the same player whom veteran Indian offie Ravichandran Ashwin had earmarked as the successor for spin maestro Nathan Lyon in the Aussie setup.
Australia has handpicked off-spinner Todd Murphy to work closely with spin coach Daniel Vettori and has also named him in the 17-man Australia A side that will face India A ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Notably, Ashwin had said last year that Murphy was “10 to 50 times better” than Lyon when he first came to India in 2013.
Todd Murphy, who made his debut against India last year, picked up 14 wickets from four Tests and was only behind Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Lyon in the wicket-takers’ list in his maiden Test series.
Along with Murphy, Corey Rocchiccioli has also been identified to train under the New Zealand spin great. Rocchiccioli was last summer’s leading wicket-taker for Sheffield Shield champions Western Australia.
ALSO READ: ‘The kind of heists’: Ashwin gives his verdict on Babar Azam vs Virat Kohli debate
Interestingly, the duo of Murphy and Rocchiccioli will not bowl in tandem and instead will individually join up with the ODI team for the three-match series against Pakistan.
Murphy, who has made six Test appearances as Nathan Lyon’s understudy, will first play the opening Australia A match in Mackay while Rocchiccioli will be in Melbourne with the national squad to gain insights from the former New Zealand spin great.
Those roles will then be reversed for the second Australia A game at the MCG when Rocchiccioli joins the starting XI while Murphy heads to Adelaide for the second Pakistan ODI, scheduled for November 8.
Speaking about the development, Australia’s national selection panel chair George Bailey told cricket.com.au,
“While they won’t formally join the one-day squad, it’s a chance for those guys to spend some time with Dan Vettori. It’s just a really positive opportunity to get two of our up-and-coming and strongly performing first-class cricketers around a bloody good spin coach”.
For more updates, follow Cricxtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram and YouTube.
