Murphy, Kuhnemann reunite with a shared fixation

Matt Kuhnemann has checked more on his Baggy Green than he has his passport since leaving home for the Sri Lanka Test tour last week. "Once every 10 minutes to make sure it's there, and just to have a look at it," in his own words to Cricbuzz.It's the first time he's traveling overseas with his Baggy Green after all since making his debut in India back in early 2023.

It's not only now, all of a sudden, that the 28-year-old left-arm spinner has started showing extra care for his treasured possession that symbolises him being a Test cricketer for Australia. He's been doing so quite regularly at home as well since last being a part of the Test squad in his debut series nearly two years ago.

"It's travelled a fair bit. I've moved a couple of times. I actually have a look at it a fair bit. Put it on and I always like to keep an eye on it. It obviously means everything to me," Kuhnemann says, almost blushing while he does.

Todd Murphy on the other hand never puts his Baggy Green on his head, even if he 'checks on it' as regularly as his spin bowling partner does. His has got a "safe spot" at home where it sits undisturbed.

"Nah, never goes on the head. Not sure that's an unwritten rule. But I'm not doing it," the young off-spinner tells this website.

Unlike Kuhnemann, Murphy has been on a foreign trip with his Baggy Green before. He was part of the Ashes squad to England in the middle of 2023 and even ended up playing the last three Tests of the series following Nathan Lyon's heartbreaking injury at Lord's. But he insists on having found his Test cap to be still quite "fresh" when he had the joy of packing it in his suitcase for the first time in 18 months some 10 days ago.

Just like it's been every time he's opened the drawer at home to "take a look at it".

"It's always nice when you get to pull it out and pack it in the suitcase again. Brings back some good memories and some excitement going forward," says Murphy. He then starts beaming as soon as the topic shifts to the 24-year-old rekindling his relationship with the Baggy Green by getting reunited with it in a day's time in Galle.

"A lot of history in it. Cool bringing it out again and knowing there's a real possibility it might get used again," says Murphy.

And it seems highly likely that it will get used with Murphy and Kuhnemann set to team up together for the first time since the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad back in March 2023 to complement their mentor, Nathan Lyon, in the first Test against Sri Lanka.

It will be a significant moment for both the finger spinners too after they've had to spend two home summers since that India trip, waiting in the wings to get anywhere near playing Test cricket again. In that extended interim period, every glance at his Baggy Green for Murphy has been an opportunity to "understand that that's what" he wants to get back to". Whereas for Kuhnemann it's also always been associated with nostalgia and reminiscing about the two incredible weeks he had in India to kickstart his international career. Including this very sweet reminder his Baggy Green still carries from his match-winning exploits in Indore.

"There are so many thoughts and experiences that flash back when I look at it. I remember in Indore, I was using my hand on the dirt a fair bit over there and when I put my hat on, there's still the dirt marks there. That's very cool."

Very cool indeed. Even if the whole experience itself of being fast-tracked into the Test team two years ago still feels like a 'blur' for Kuhnemann.

"Blur is a great way to put it. It was a bit of a whirlwind month in India. Looking back at it now, how special it actually was. The environment with Ronnie (Andrew McDonald), Patty (Pat Cummins) and Steve (Smith) have created is it's very easy for someone who isn't part of the squad full-time coming in and to feel confident to do well. So, I look back and think I've grown as a cricketer in my skill-sets a lot better than a couple of years ago," he says.

And while there's the skills side to his growth, he feels like the biggest improvement he sees with his own cricket is how much better he is with the mental side of it.

"You go from India, then I played a couple of county games and then back home to Queensland where I wasn't playing. You have to be resilient enough to go and that season to move to Tassie and you're playing a fair bit of red-ball cricket. Probably learn to bowl all around the world. Talk to the likes of Steve O'Keefe and Nathan Lyon who is the best finger spinner we've ever had. You learn so many little things. And puts you in good stead. I'm a lot more confident going into this series than I was in India."

Despite the eventful journey he's been on since his last appearance, 18 Tests ago, Kuhnemann insists that he remembers his first tryst with Test cricket like it was yesterday.

Murphy echoes those sentiments when asked about whether it feels like 18 months since he last donned his beloved Baggy Green, at The Oval in August 2023. That it didn't feel like it was that long ago when he was taking six wickets as part of a highly impressive performance in the final Ashes Test.

Murphy too has since had a rollercoaster ride, with injuries and a difficult 2023-24 season before bouncing back with some strong numbers for Victoria in the Sheffield Shield this summer. He's also spent that time acknowledging the uniqueness of his own situation, as a youngster who got a taste of the highest level earlier than expected and then had to get used to being on the outer.

"The challenge after that is sort of leveling back your expectations and understanding that you're not going to be a part of every Australian squad going forward, when you're mainly playing home series or series in New Zealand where spin isn't going to play as big a part.

"Understanding that I think I knew when I was coming into Test cricket, it wasn't going to happen straight away and I wasn't going to have a 15-year career straightaway. There was always going to be fluctuations. Sometimes when you come and play international cricket, you sort of feel like that's the start. You hope you can stay there as long as you can but that hasn't been for me. I'm still young in my journey. Hopefully, there's plenty of time still for that to play out," says Murphy.

Another main contributor to keeping him grounded is his relationship with Lyon, who took his fellow off-spinner under his wing the moment he walked into the squad. Just like the veteran seems to with every tweaker who enters the Aussie dressing-room.

"Nath understands that he wants to leave spin bowling in a better place when he does finish up as well. He wants to continue see us young spinners develop and when the time comes, we're ready to take his place. It's a really cool relationship from my point of view. A lot of times young spinners come in and they don't have anyone to lean on. I've been lucky that every tour I've been on, Nath's been there to touch base with and Dan Vettori is no different as the bowling coach. They've both experienced everything you can in international cricket," he adds.

In that time, he's also built a lovely kinship with Kuhnemann, considering the similarity in trajectories of their respective careers.

"We are quite understanding of where we sit in terms of the pecking order of spin bowling stuff. You're always trying to work together and just in domestic cricket as well trying to get each other to get better, which is awesome and healthy," he reveals.

Their preparation for the two Tests in Galle have been a bit different though, especially after the right thumb injury Kuhnemann picked up while playing in the BBL. It meant that he couldn't join the rest of the team in the UAE for a three-day camp which Murphy admits having been very beneficial to him getting back to the mechanics and tactics of bowling in the subcontinent. Along with picking Lyon's brains.

Kuhnemann meanwhile has devoured every video he could find of left-arm spinners, from Rangana Herath to Prabath Jayasuriya, finding success on Sri Lankan pitches, of which there is a lot on YouTube.

"I just finished watching all of Jayasuriya this morning. I think I've seen them all. What the fields are doing and what part of the day it is. Day 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5. Angles of the fielders. If the catching men on the off and on-side," he explains.

The Queenslander turned Tasmanian has also of course continued to bank on the tips that he picked up from Ravindra Jadeja from that maiden Test tour, most of which he's ensured he has easy access to.

"I was with the squad there for the Sydney Test. I was hoping to try and meet him (Jadeja) but I couldn't unfortunately. The tips that Jadeja gave me in India, I've got those written down in my bedroom. Got some notes and I'll use some of that here."

Murphy has watched some clips on YouTube as well in the intervening period since that last Ashes tour. Mostly of himself from the India tour, reflecting on what was a "massive moment" in his career while trying to stay in the moment as his state coach Chris Rogers had asked him to at the start of his Shield career. Though he doesn't quite reveal what his most viewed clips are, he does admit, "I might have watched the ones to (Virat) Kohli a few more times than the others," with a chuckle.

And Murphy looks set to add to his career highlight reel over the next two weeks in Galle while Kuhnemann looks to add a few more dirt marks and memories to his Baggy Green.