 "IND vs AUS 2023, 3rd Test: After maiden five-wicket haul, Kuhnemann reveals Jadeja, Ashwin's influence")
synopsis
Australia's Matthew Kuhnemann, who was playing the Sheffield Shield as recently as two weeks ago, picked up his maiden five-wicket haul against India on Day 1 of the third Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Indore.
Matthew Kuhnemann will have to wait until the end of the series to get some valuable "tips" from Ravindra Jadeja. However, watching the champion India spinner operate in the middle has been an education for the rookie Australian left-arm spinner.
The 26-year-old pinches himself daily to be in the company of Australian legends like Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, and Steve Smith. The Sheffield Shield player was just two weeks ago before being selected for the Test team for the Delhi Test. Also, he is a massive fan of Jadeja and R Ashwin, from whom he has learned several helpful bowling strategies just by watching them work together.
Kuhnemann, just in his second Test, was the best Australian bowler on display on the opening day of the third Test in Indore, finishing with a career-high five for 16. His six-month stay at a Chennai spin treatment has also improved his bowling.
"I'm a massive fan of Jadeja and Ashwin, so I've watched how they have bowled in the last few years. It's more so the mental side, dealing with the crowd (in India) and how quick things happen," he said. "Me and Todd (Murphy) were in the MRF tour in Chennai probably six months ago and that left me in good stead to go well in these games."
In Nagpur and Delhi, Jadeja—who has made a comeback with this series—was the player of the match. At the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Kuhnemann closely observed Jadeja and learned the subtleties of spin bowling.
"The way he uses his crease and probably the biggest thing I picked up in Delhi, is that he brings his length back a little bit when the ball gets a little bit older. That's probably the main thing I took out of the second Test and brought into this Test, probably my length. Don't want to get full, especially on a wicket that stays low, being consistent on that 5-6 meter length," said the Queenslander.
Has he got the chance to pick Jadeja's brains yet?
"I said to him, have you got any tips for me after the last Test? He said 'yes, at the end of the series'," he said with a wide smile.
Talking about his maiden five-wicket haul and the most spin-friendly conditions he has played in, Kuhnemann said, "There was a lot of spin today. We just talked about bowling the same ball, and owning my space. Nathan Lyon was excellent out there. Even after a couple of wickets, he said don't get ahead of yourself, just think about bowling that ball ... he was great for me, at mid-off most of the day. Not every day you get these wickets like so enjoy them, it's very different to what we get back home in Australia."
Kuhnemann got India skipper Rohit Sharma's prized wicket and had Shubman Gill caught at first slip.
"It's amazing. Really special to take wickets out there with the team. I think it is a really good day for our team in general with the bowlers going really well and the batters stepping up as well and doing a good job for us. "Yeah it's really cool, but there's a long way to go in this game. Tomorrow is going to be a massive day," the Australian said.
Kuhnemann was brought into the attack as early as the sixth over of the day and he made it count.
"When I was bowling, I was getting a lot of spin, a lot of bounce, which is sort of different to what we had in Delhi. Once the ball got a little bit older, sort of stayed a little bit lower and then we talked about just bringing our lengths back a little bit. Even watching Jadeja bowl just before he did the same thing and that's where it's pretty hard to play when the ones that stay low," he said.
On his Test debut in unexpected circumstances, Kuhnemann added, "It's been a whirlwind. Like every night I'm sort of just pinching myself. Even today just sitting in the change room, just looking around speaking to Starcy and Nathan Lyon and thinking this is unreal, just be able to do this."
(With inputs from PTI)
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