New Delhi: India have bowled themselves to a sniffing distance of victory in the second Test against England, which has brought out a smile on the face of bowling coach Morne Morkel.
Indian bowlers were criticised for their blunt performance save Jasprit Bumrah in first Test at Headingley, where they lost to trail 0-1 in the five-match series.
Concerns were raised when Bumrah had to be rested for workload management in the ongoing second Test at Headingley.
But as India needed only seven more wickets in the final day while defending a 608-run target, Morkel has said he was glad to have brought a much-improved performance.
Akash Deep replaced Bumrah, as the senior most bowlers mantle was passed onto Mohammed Siraj and both have responded admirably, picking up all the 13 English wickets so far.
“Very happy so far (with the performance of pacers). We had some good discussions after the last game. It is a pleasing sign (show in Bumrah’s absence). Akash Deep is an attacking bowler, asking questions on the stumps.
“The England conditions suit him. He is running in at high pace and that is a good sign. The more confidence you give him the better he gets,” Morkel said after the end of day four’s action.
England need 536 runs on the final day to win and Siraj would be licking his lips, having taken six wickets in the first innings and picking up one more so far in the second.
“Siraj he is a guy that I have lot of respect for. He pushes his body to the limit. He can try too hard at times and that can make you inconsistent. But he really puts his heart on his sleeve. He does the dirty job for the team and that doesn’t reflect in the wickets column at times,” said the former South Africa fast bowler.
Morkel praised new skipper Shubman Gill for his century-making spree, having registered a double century and two hundreds in four innings.
“Very happy for Shubman. As captain on a big tour, coming to England, he has handled the expectations very well so far,” he said.