Todd Murphy is eager to replace Nathan Lyon as Australia’s primary spinner in Test cricket after returning from a long-term injury.
Murphy, 23, participated in Australia’s red-ball tours to India and the United Kingdom last year and even played as a replacement for Lyon.
Murphy dismissed the likes of Virat Kohli, Ben Stokes and Joe Root during the tours which helped him make the headlines.
"I reckon that was probably the biggest challenge," Murphy told cricket.com.au on returning from injury. "I built it up like it was going to be quite an important summer for me, and I really wanted to do well off the back of that (his Test appearances).
"Then unfortunately it just didn't play out like that. It was just challenging the whole way through, and I never felt like I was at my best.
"But I think it was one of those (experiences) that you look back on and you take a bit out of. I learnt a few things about myself and how I'm going to approach games going forward.
"I had a shoulder niggle that was there the whole season and I probably I wasn't having the success I wanted to on the field, so I was pushing hard at training as well to try and get back (into form).
"That sort of meant that the shoulder was never getting a break and I was always just up against it, going into games never feeling good and confident in my shoulder, which was tough work.
"It was frustrating trying to navigate through and I probably was hoping that it was just going to click. But I never allowed myself the rest I needed during the season to actually give myself a chance to do that."
Murphy added that living up to the standards that Lyon has set would be hard but the 23-year-old is determined to make his place in the Test squad.
"I think they were happy with what I was able to do in England," said Murphy. "Obviously it's hard to live up to what 'Gaz' (Lyon) has done for the last 10 or so years.
"I think at the back end of that, it was just 'go back to Victoria and just keep showing us what you can do, and just make sure that if anything happens to Gaz, that you're still the next man that we pick'.
"That was the key messaging."
