Kuhnemann emerges from obscurity

INDORE: Matthew Kuhnemann will have to wait till the end of the series to get some valuable tips from Ravindra Jadeja though just watching the India spinner operate in the middle has been an education for the rookie Australia left-arm spinner.

The 26-year-old Kuhnemann, who was playing the Sheffield Shield as recent as two weeks ago before being drafted into the Test team ahead of the Delhi Test, is pinching himself every day in the company of Australia stars like Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Steve Smith.

A stint at a clinic in Chennai in August last year has also made him a better bowler. “I am a big fan of Jadeja and [Ravichandran] Ashwin, so I have watched how they have bowled in the last few years. It is more on the mental side, dealing with the crowd [in India] and how quick things happen,” Kuhnemann said.

“Me and (off-spinner) Todd [Murphy] were in the MRF Pace Foundation tour to Chennai probably six months ago and that left me in good stead to go well in these games.”

Jadeja, who has made a comeback in this series, was the ‘Man of the Match’ both in Nagpur and New Delhi. Kuhnemann observed Jadeja closely at the Feroz Shah Kotla and picked up the fine nuances 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 is probably the main thing I took out of the second Test and brought into this Test, probably my length. Do not want to get full especially on a wicket that stays low, being consistent on that 5-6 meter length.”