India need only seven wickets to pull the series back to level terms. They set England a gargantuan 608-run target, knocked off their top three before the close of the penultimate day, and most importantly, did it all without their main man, Jasprit Bumrah. If that sounds like something that would swell a coach with pride, well, it sort of is. Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel looked as if all his worries in the world had momentarily disappeared.
“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.”
Mohammad Siraj, the most experienced bowler of this young pack, has led from the front, bagging six wickets in the first innings and drawing first blood in the second. In all fairness, Siraj had no business wreaking havoc like this on a non-responsive surface like that at Edgbaston. The last time he took a five-for was in Cape Town in January last year. He had gone 30 innings without getting one, which is enough to reveal the sort of form he had been in lately. Moving from that to now, ensuring his team doesn’t miss their spearhead in a game they need to win, is actually why Morkel thinks he “bowls with his heart on his sleeve.”
“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.”
Siraj was well supported by Akash Deep, whose wicket tally in the match reached six after he sent Joe Root packing with a brilliant piece of bowling. Deep bowled with an attacking mindset, targeting the stumps with religious consistency, and Morkel was particularly happy with him doing so.
“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.”
His delivery to Root was arguably the best of the day. He bowled wider on the crease, mixed it with a full length, and the new ball seamed away at the right moment to land at the stumps.
“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.”
The new ball has served India well, but they will not get much of that on the last day with the ball going soft. Sure, seven wickets require just seven good balls, but they could make all the difference in the world if they are not coming right.
“Your skill really gets tested on a surface like that,” Morkel said. “The margin for error is a lot smaller. Obviously, that’s nipping around a little bit now, but it’s going to be a challenge for us tomorrow.”
