Morne Morkel waxes lyrical on Mohammed Siraj after heroic performance on a seemingly lifeless Edgbaston surface.
With 13 wickets between them, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep have given India a strong chance to tie the five-match series 1-1, and bowling coach Morne Morkel was full of praise for them.
After setting England 608 and taking three wickets in the 16 overs that were available on the fourth evening, India needs seven wickets on the last day. Morkel is even more happy that India did this without Jasprit Bumrah.
“Very, very happy so far,” Morkel said. “We had a deep or good discussion after the last Test in terms of areas we want to improve on, and I think we’ve done that. So that’s a pleasing sign from a growing bowling attack, missing one of their most experienced players so they can react to those sort of things.”
Siraj took his first five wickets in England on what may have been the flattest pitch India has seen this century, but he lasted the entire Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024–25 on green fields without taking a wicket. According to Morkel, it was really a reward for all of the excellent bowling that took place in the games that were in between five-fors.
“Siraj is a guy that I’ve got a lot of respect for,” Morkel said. “He’s a guy that always will push his body to the limits. I think sometimes the guilty part of him is trying too hard so for us. It’s about managing that sort of aggression and managing that intensity because he really bowls with his heart on his sleeve. I think sometimes those sort of things can give you that inconsistency.
“In a match that he’s now the leader of the attack, he got the wickets, but for me in terms of effort and energy and with a sore body, he’s always done and will put his hand up, and he wants to bowl that over. I don’t think sometimes we give him enough credit for that.”
Akash Deep’s line of attack, Morkel said, gave India the potency in brief windows of the new ball doing something. “He is an attacking bowler that asks questions, bowling at the stumps a lot,” Morkel said. “I think that’s one of the golden rules here in England: asking questions on the stumps. So for these sort of conditions in the UK, it suits his style. And coming back from injury and seeing him running in with high pace, it’s a nice sign for us.
“That was a dream delivery… top quality player Joe Root and to dismiss him in that fashion just shows the quality of Akash, what he can do. I think he is also a guy like all of us. The more confidence you give him, almost like there’s a little bit more energy behind the ball and hopefully that delivery he will play over in his phone tonight, and then bring a couple more of those tomorrow.”