NEW DELHI: India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel acknowledged on Sunday that their bowlers struggled to implement strategies against Australian batter Travis Head‘s century. He emphasised the need for improvement, particularly during the crucial period between overs 50 and 80 with the older ball.
Head and Steve Smith‘s partnership proved devastating as they accumulated 171 runs in 31 overs during the final session of day two at the Brisbane Test, following a wicketless afternoon session.
Steve Smith: ‘I had a great seat in the house to watch Travis Head bat’
The Australian team finished strongly at 405 for seven.
“First of all, we can say he’s (Head) in pretty good form. But I think for us with the ball, if you look at it from overs 50 to 80, even in the last game, is where we fall short, leaking (runs) a little bit. So, that’s one area I think we need to get better at,” said Morkel in the post-day press conference.
The bowling coach noted that despite securing three morning wickets, the Indian bowlers lost their grip on the match.
“First up with the ball this morning, we were pretty good, at 3 for 70, but took nothing away from two world-class players, Smith we know, he’s a guy who also can bat long and score runs. They (Smith and Head) put a partnership there and put us under pressure with a softer ball.
“It’s definitely an area that we need to focus on, maybe deeper in the innings. Yes, we’ve got the game plans, but are we executing those game plans with a softer ball from both ends? That’s something we need to get better at,” he continued.
Discussing the strategy for Head, which proved unsuccessful, the former South African bowler explained their approach.
“Our plan going into this game was to bowl a little bit more over the wicket, a straighter line. We felt he played it quite nicely in Adelaide when we came around (the wicket). The margins to him are just so small and like I said, once he’s in, what is the best way for the team and for you (is) to maybe slow down the scoring rate because you know he’s going to be aggressive.
“The best way (of controlling Head) is bringing a little bit of control into the game and like I said, from over 50 with that softer ball, that’s where we’re leaking (runs). When Head comes on straight, the pitch kind of feels to (be favourable) a side,” he added.
“I’m not taking anything away from that, but it is a venue where getting used to bowling the right length and trusting that, it does take a bit of time.”
While praising Jasprit Bumrah‘s five-wicket performance, Morkel defended Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep’s contributions.
“I thought Akash did really well, he bowled his heart out, same for Siraj. Siraj struggled, cramped, early on in the day, so, for him to still run in, close and bowl short balls and bowl that new ball spell for me, was great.”
“Of course, you need somebody to back him (Bumrah) up, but I honestly can’t fault the effort from the other seamers today.
“Akash asked good questions with the new ball up front, asked good questions with the older ball and on another day could have easily picked up three wickets, but that’s the nature of this game,” he concluded.
Morkel backs struggling Jadeja
Morkel expressed support for Ravindra Jadeja, who was selected in place of R Ashwin for this Test match, despite his challenging performance.
At the ‘Gabba’, Jadeja bowled 16 overs without taking any wickets while conceding 76 runs.
“Jaddu, coming into this match didn’t haven’t had a lot of game time, but he’s also a guy who has taken a lot of Test wickets. He’s a very experienced player and we just felt we wanted to bring in the left-arm option as something different, you know, sitting with Rohit.”
“Jaddu is a guy that can also offer us a lot with the bat, unfortunately, today if you know it wasn’t his day as a spinner. But, yeah, Jaddu for me is a world-class player and you know he’ll work it out,” he added.
Daniel Vettori bowls to India players in the nets at The Gabba
Regarding the decision to bowl first after winning the toss, Morkel explained their strategy was based on their confidence in containing the Australian batting lineup.
“I just thought, looking at the surface, if we can get the ball in the right area we can take wickets. I thought controlling the run-rate for a big part of the game and staying patient was key and if we could have added one or two wickets, winning the toss and bowling first would have worked.
“But unfortunately we are on the other side of it and we just need to take the positives out of it. So, when we do get that opportunity tomorrow it’s about getting through the new ball because I honestly feel like it’s a bit of a new ball surface.
“For us it’s important now to put today aside and get our minds switched on and stay strong for a big batting innings,” he added
