IND vs AUS: Purpose-made spin pitches in Brisbane & MRF Chennai stint behind Kuhnemann success

Matt Kuhnemann’s experience after being helicoptered into Sri Lanka, plus six years worth overs bowled on purpose-made spin pitches at Brisbane’s National Cricket Centre as well as an MRF Academy stint in Chennai last year, all helped the spinner land a five-for to put Australia in a strong position on Day 1.
“We’ve had a subcontinent wicket back home in Brisbane, I’ve been bowling on that for six years, so (I’ve) been learning the craft and (learning) about how to bowl over here,” he told cricket.com.au on Wednesday.
A massive fan of Jadeja and (Ravichandran) Ashwin he watch how they have bowled in the last few years.
“It’s more so the mental side, dealing with the crowd and how quick things happen. Me and Todd (Murphy) were on the MRF tour in Chennai probably six months ago and that left me in good stead to go well in these games,” he added.

Get to know Australia’s newest Test sensation, spinner Matthew Kuhnemann, from his Gold Coast upbringing through to a whirlwind debut that saw Virat Kohli become his first Test wicket #DirectHit pic.twitter.com/GHmHSGZmoe
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) March 1, 2023
According to cricket.com.au, Kuhnemann has had some whirlwind debuts. “Last year he was helicoptered from Hambantota, on Sri Lanka’s south coast, to Kandy, in the island’s central hill region, to replace Ashton Agar during Australia’s ODI series last year. While he impressed in his maiden international campaign and stayed on as net bowler for the Test series against Sri Lanka that ensued, hopes of winning a Baggy Green anytime soon seemed farfetched,” the website noted.
Story of getting picked
The Queenslander had been following fellow left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling in the final hours of play the same day as his Sheffield Shield match against Victoria. Kuhnemann, cricket.com.au noted, was as shocked as anyone when he was told midway through that match, just his second first-class game of the season and the 13th of his career, that he would be flying to Delhi to join the Test squad. His Bulls teammates gave him a rousing cheer on the MCG outfield. The Test callup came exactly two years after he made his first-class debut.
He conceded he had never played on a pitch that turned as much as Indore and had been guided from mid-off where Nathan Lyon had stationed himself.

He would even ask Jadeja if he had any tips to offer. “I said, ‘have you got any tips for me after the last Test?’ He said ‘Yes – at the end of the series’
This after he had closely watched how the Indian allrounder varied his angle on the crease across the first two Tests and shifted to a shorter length after the ball lost its shine. To mangle a Rome saying, spin craft wasn’t built in a day and, when in India, spin as the Indian spinners do.