R Ashwin said that Australia offspinner Todd Murphy was “10 to 50 times better” than Nathan Lyon when he first came to India in 2013. With 14 wickets in four Tests, Murphy was behind only Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Lyon. List of takers in their Test series debut.

Ashwin said on his YouTube channel –

“Nathan Lyon did pick up 20 wickets in this series. However, the pressure was built by other spinners too. Todd Murphy had a sensational debut series. You might wonder what is there to talk about Todd Murphy. This is his first tour to India. I remember many spinners’ first tour to India.”

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‘Murphy came here 10 to 50 times better than how Lyon’, R Ashwin

Ashwin added – “Nathan Lyon came here first in 2013. He went to Sri Lanka before that. Todd Murphy came here 10 to 50 times better than how Nathan Lyon came here on his first Test tour. I am not saying that he is a better bowler in terms of quality, skill, or performance. I am talking about his capacity and composure to be able to bowl around the stumps and over the stumps.”

Lyon, in 2013, had taken 15 wickets in three Tests and, like Murphy, had registered a seven-wicket haul.

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Ashwin further said –

“In the Ahmedabad Test, he [Murphy] bowled most of his overs from over the stumps. Until then, he was bowling around the stumps. But from both around and over, he looked equally comfortable. He was able to attack the stumps while bowling from around the wicket as well as over the wicket.”

Ashwin further added – “Nathan Lyon’s strongest feature is that he uses Mitchell Starc’s footmark really well. He bowls the sixth-stump and seventh-stump line really well. That has been his bread and butter. That’s how he has built his ten-year career.”