TimesofIndia.com in Manchester: India bowling coach Morne Morkel expressed concern as he admitted that his bowlers lacked bite and energy on Day 3 of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, highlighting a worrying drop in pace from the team’s quicks. “We are trying to wrap our heads around it. Not too much to judge in that, but it was a heavy outfield. But we need energy on the ball on a surface like this,” India’s bowling coach told reporters at the end of day’s play on day 3.
The numbers underline the concern as well. Jasprit Bumrah bowled over 140 kmph in 39.84% of his deliveries at Headingley and 26.84% at Lord’s. At Old Trafford, that number has plummeted to just 0.57% (just 1 out of 173 balls, including no-balls). This staggering dip in pace for India’s spearhead surely is a matter of concern for the side as they head into day 4. India’s pace unit struggled for penetration all day as England ended Day 3 on 544/7, leading by 186 runs. Joe Root’s sensational 150 and Ollie Pope’s 71 kept the visitors under pressure throughout, with India conceding 500-plus in an overseas Test innings for the first time since 2015. Morkel, however, said the team was more disciplined compared to the previous day. “We were much better today with the ball. Yesterday was a tough day,” he said. “Siraj and Boom (Bumrah) started well today.” Both Bumrah and Siraj had injury scares before Tea, leaving the field in discomfort. Morkel downplayed the concerns, saying, “Bumrah rolled his ankle going down the stairs, Siraj also rolled his ankle. Both are fine.” India handed a debut to Anshul Kamboj in this crucial Test, who just has the one wicket of Ben Duckett to show for, which came on Day 2. “We needed someone who could bowl volume and is accurate. His name was in the mix for a long time,” Morkel said. Shardul Thakur, meanwhile, was used sparingly. The 33-year-old’s six overs on Friday was not much of an increase as compared to the five overs that were allotted to him on Thursday. “Tough one when you have four seamers and going at over five,” Morkel said. Washington Sundar, who picked two wickets, was only brought into the attack in the 69th over. Elaborating on the timing of his deployment, the bowling coach said, “Shubman made that call to stick longer with seam option.”
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On Kuldeep Yadav’s continued exclusion, he added, “He is bowling very well right now, he is a quality bowler, but at the moment it’s due to batting depth and balance of the side.” With England looking to extend their advantage, India face a steep climb. Trailing in both the game and the series, the visitors will need to force a turnaround on Saturday.
