Rookie Australian left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann, who made an impressive debut in the Test series against India, said he has received “some awesome tips” about his craft from star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.
Kuhnemann said the Indian spinner, called Sir Jadeja, stuck to his “promise and spent about 15 minutes talking about everything” after India clinched the series 2-1 following the drawn fourth and final Test in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
“It was probably about 15 minutes, he (Jadeja) was just giving me some awesome tips; we talked about everything,” Kuhnemann was quoted as saying by Fox Cricket.
“He gave me some good tips for the next time we’re in the subcontinent and some tips to go back home with as well.”
The 26-year-old Queenslander was flown in as a replacement for leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson who left home for the birth of his first child ahead of the second Test in Delhi.
The spinner has often struggled to get into Queensland side when Swespon was available and has 35 wickets at 34.80 in 13 matches.
But he had impressed in the ODI debut against Sri Lanka to be called for the India series and Kuhnemann did not disappoint, finishing with nine wickets in three Tests.
He claimed six wickets, including a maiden five-for, to play a key role in Australia winning the third Test in Indore. It was Australia’s veteran spinner Nathan Lyon who arranged the interaction between Kuhnemann and Jadeja after the Ahmedabad Test.
“Nathan Lyon helped organise it as well. He (Jadeja) was really impressed with Todd, ‘Gaz’ and myself so that was really cool to hear from him.
“He was really nice and just said any time to reach out, and even sent me a message on Instagram, so that was pretty cool,” he added.
Kuhnemann, Lyon and Murphy received the ultimate praise from Indian coach Rahul Dravid after the series, calling the Aussie trio the best spin attack the hosts had faced in their own conditions for more than a decade. All three had their turn taking bags of wickets across the four Tests, claiming 45 scalps between them, headlined by Lyon’s 22.
The last time the two teams met on Indian soil, in 2017, Steve Smith’s “brain fade” episode had made headlines. But this time, it was the bonhomie between the two bitter rivals that stood out in the four-Test series.
