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India's bowling coach Morne Morkel, has been highly impressed by Jasprit Bumrah's performance during the team's initial three training sessions in England ahead of the five-match Test series. Morne Morkel stated that he was 'blown away' by the bowler's rhythm and the intensity he displayed and has also said that India's pace spearhead is in good shape.
Jasprit Bumrah is in good shape: Morne Morkel
Moreover, Morkel addressed any concerns about Bumrah being potentially lacking match practice due to playing only a limited number of IPL games recently, confidently dismissing such suggestions.
"Bumrah knows how to get himself ready; he knows how to prepare. I was blown away to see the energy on the ball the last three days. That's very exciting to see. I'm happy his body is in good shape at the moment," Morkel said during India's training session.
The Indian team management is acutely aware of Jasprit Bumrah's history with back injuries. Prior to their departure for England, head coach Gautam Gambhir had indicated the likelihood of Bumrah playing in only three of the five Test matches as part of a careful workload management strategy. However, a final decision regarding the specific matches Bumrah will participate in is yet to be made. This decision will be based on the progression of the series and Bumrah's overall physical condition.
Reiterating this cautious approach, the Indian bowling coach emphasized that the team management intends to be "smart" in handling Bumrah's workload throughout the summer. Morkel acknowledged Bumrah's crucial importance to the team but expressed excitement about his bowling with the Dukes ball in the initial net sessions, suggesting positive signs.
As part of their preparation for the opening Test at Headingley in Leeds, scheduled to begin on June 20, India will engage in a three-day intra-squad match starting on June 6th in Beckenham. This practice game will be held behind closed doors and will involve a combination of players from the main Test squad and the India A team, who recently concluded two four-day matches against the England Lions.
"I think in terms of that we cover, like you say, all the bases. But for us now, the key thing is to get Test match fit, ready, that sharpness, to get that back. We haven't played Test matches for a while now," Morkel added.
He further observed that while English weather can often be characterized by overcast skies which tend to favor bowlers, it is anticipated that the pitches throughout the upcoming Test series will offer good playing surfaces. Morkel also emphasized a key objective leading up to the first Test, which is ensuring that all players are in optimal physical condition to sustain their performance on the field for the entirety of the scheduled 90 overs each day.
"In England, the conditions can suit you and it's overcast, but still it's going to be good surfaces. I think we're going to be testing that. We've only had three sessions so far. We've got a four-day warm-up game (vs India A) starting in two days' time. I'm going to be more interested to see how our guys go in that four-day game," India's bowling coach further stated.
India's Test squad for England tour:
Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc, wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav
England squad for first Test against India:
Ben Stokes (Captain), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes
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