NEWS
Follow UsMorne Morkel admitted that Indian bowlers didn’t make full use of the pink ball under lights on day one of the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The Indian seamers failed to find the right line and length against Nathan McSweeney and Marnus Labuschagne and allowed them to see off 33 overs on the opening day.
Jasprit Bumrah dismissed McSweeney and Steven Smith early on day two but that’s when Travis Head smashed 140 off 141 deliveries and put India under serious pressure. Australia scored 337 in 87.3 overs, taking a first-innings lead of 157 runs.
“In the first Test match, our lines and lengths were exceptional, and I think that was the blueprint going for us, into this Test series. We wanted to bring stumps into play as much as we can, and I felt that last night with the ball moving around a bit. We missed that, we were slightly off the mark in finding the right length,” said the India bowling coach on December 7 (Saturday).
“At times, we (India in the first innings) were a touch wide, so we allowed the guys to leave a lot of balls. If you look at the history of pink ball Tests, that time of night if you bowl (in those areas), then you can pick up wickets. This morning, we got more balls in the right area, more consistently. We bowled better in partnerships.”
Bumrah bowled with great control and picked up four wickets, and so did Mohammed Siraj, but Harshit Rana was taken to the cleaners. Playing only his second Test, the right-arm seamer leaked 86 runs in 16 overs at an economy of 5.4. Morkel said Harshit learn from today’s experience and get better in the future.
“Harshit Rana is playing his second Test match, it will be a big learning curve for him, playing his first time in Australia. He is a guy who will learn from today and we can just look to get better.
“Test cricket is a tough place. There is no place to hide. He has only played his second Test match, he is going to learn from these conversations. I think the biggest job for me is to put my arms around him today. Playing in front of 50,000 people, that is intimidating.
“I want him to feel as a guy with a lot of potential, that we still back him as a team, we definitely do that. (I want to) just keep on having conversations with him, to keep learning. Ask good questions to him. Days like today (are) helpful. Even though they are painful, they are helpful in the longer way.”
Morkel also gave an update on Bumrah’s fitness. The paceman was seen holding his adductor muscle and was even attended by the team physio. “Firstly with Bumrah, he's fine, it was just this cramp. Yeah, even because after that, you know, he bowled and you got the wickets twice.”
Morkel also admitted that Head was able to put India under pressure. The left-hander batted at a strike rate of almost 100, smashing 17 fours and four sixes. "He is just a guy who is always looking to score. As a bowler, he puts you under pressure and your execution gets tested every ball.
"When he first came to the crease, we bowled well. We sort of felt like we could knock him over but credit to him, he fought through that phase and got himself on. From there, he put the pressure on us. With the ball, we were slow to react in going from Plan A to Plan B. Especially with ten overs left for the second new ball, we leaked a bit of runs. That's something we need to look at and get better at, because he is a player who once he gets some momentum, he'll put your under pressure.
"He is one of the guys going into this Test match, we spent a lot of time having conversations about Travis. He batted well in the first Test match as well. He along with Mitch (Marsh) and Alex Carey in the middle order, they take the game away from you. As a bowler, if you are on your third or fourth spells, you need to be on the money, else they will take the game away from you."
At the end of day two, India were 128/5 in 24 overs, still trailing by 29 runs.
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