Australia left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann has expressed his surprise over being called up for the remainder of the ongoing four-match Test series against India.
The left-arm spinner was added to the Australia squad following the first Test in Nagpur after leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson had to fly back home for the birth of his first child. And the turn of events have taken Matthew Kuhnemann by surprise.
Recalling the moment when he learned the news, the spinner stated that he was shocked by it. He, however, was also excited with the news as he added that it felt pretty cool to share the news with his teammates.
“I got a phone call yesterday morning (11 February) when we were walking out for the warm-up, to my surprise. I was pretty shocked and I was probably a little bit nowhere in the first session yesterday,” Matthew Kuhnemann said in the sidelines of the Sheffield Shield in an interview with ESPNcricinfo.
“But it was a pretty amazing feeling and it’s pretty cool to tell the boys as well at the warm-ups,” he added.
Matthew Kuhnemann excited:
While the news of the Test call-up did surprise Matthew Kuhnemann, he has admitted that he cannot wait to go to India and be a part of the series. The spinner has revealed that he did not miss a single day of the Test series and watched how Ravindra Jadeja bowled during the first Test match.
“I’ve watched every day (of the first Test), I’ve just been such a fan of these series, they’re so good to watch. Todd Murphy was exceptional, and I watched how Jadeja bowled. I’m just really excited to be to get over there and be with the boys,” the spinner said.
Both Ravindra Jadeja and Todd Murphy had a fine outing in the first Test. While Jadeja picked up 7 wickets including 5 in the first innings and scored 70 runs, debutant Murphy picked up a 7-wicket haul.
Matthew Kuhnemann will be hoping to make his Test debut and replicate Murphy’s performance. As per reports in Australian media, he is in contention to play the second Test in Delhi, scheduled to begin on Thursday (February 17).