Morkel in awe of Bumrah’s rhythm as India up practice intensity in the three sessions the team have had so far.
Mirkel in awe as he is “blown away” by Jasprit Bumrah’s rhythm and intensity.
In the three practices the squad has had so far on their tour to England, India bowling coach Morne Morkel has been “blown away” by Jasprit Bumrah’s rhythm and intensity. However, he reaffirmed that the management would be “smart” in handling him during the summer.
In order to minimise his workload given his history of back issues, head coach Gautam Gambhir stated prior to his departure that Bumrah will probably only participate in three of the five Test matches. However, India has not yet announced which Test matches he will play; that will rely on how the series progresses and how well Bumrah is recovering.
“Bumrah knows how to get himself ready, he knows how to prepare,” Morkel said on Wednesday. “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.
“We’ll manage him with that. We’ll be smart with him because he’s obviously key for us, but in terms of the first three net sessions, lot to be excited watching him bowl with the Dukes ball.”
The Indians will play a three-day intra-squad match at Beckenham starting on June 6 to prepare for the series opener at Headingley in Leeds starting on June 20. With teams selected from the Test squad and the India A team that participated in two four-day matches against the England Lions, the game is anticipated to take place behind closed doors.
A major topic of attention in the run-up to the first Test will be the composition of India’s bowling attack. In addition to Bumrah, India’s top pace alternatives include Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, and Akash Deep. Their seam-bowling all-rounders are Shardul Thakur and Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Morkel, though, has high expectations from Reddy.
“The more bowling options we can have, that’s great. He’s skillful. He’s a guy that can bowl that magical ball, so for him it’s about creating that consistency, it’s something we want to work on, it’s important for his game as well,” Morkel said of Reddy. “I’ve had conversations where I’ve challenged him to bowl a bit more.
“I want to see the ball more in his hands, we all know what he can do with the bat. For a team, if we can have the bowling options especially in these conditions, I think he’ll be exciting and can complement this bowling attack.”