Team India bowling coach Morne Morkel was all praises for the intent shown by the batters in their first innings of the ongoing second and final Test against Bangladesh. The match is being played in Kanpur and saw the second and third day being fully washed out due to rain and a wet outfield.
On day 4, Bangladesh resumed their innings on 107/3 and were bundled out for 233. Mominul Haque starred with 107*, while Jasprit Bumrah picked three wickets for India.
In response, many felt that Indian batters would go after the bowling to put up a substantial score and make Bangladesh bat again on day 4. And that’s what happened as Yashasvi Jaiswal (72 in 51) and Rohit Sharma (23) added 55 runs for the first wicket in 3.5 overs. India reached its fifty in just 19 balls, the fastest ever.
Jaiswal got out for 71 runs, Shubman Gill fell for 39 and then Rishabh Pant perished for 9 runs. But then Virat Kohli (47 in 35) and KL Rahul (68 in 43 balls) got together and hammered the Bangladeshi bowlers further.
India declared its innings on 285/9 with a lead of 52 runs. By the end of 4th day’s play, Bangladesh was 26/2 trailing by 26 runs. For Bangladesh, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Shakib Al Hasan picked 4 wickets each.
India has made this match interesting with their blistering batting as they set records for fastest team 100, 150, 200, and 250 in Test cricket.
Morne Morkel spoke about the positive intent shown by the Indian batters in the post-day four press conference.
“We knew, once we get the opportunity, we're always going to look at the positive way and how we can impact that. Throughout the day, we showed the intent that we were going to play. The way the boys went to the ball up-front, was incredible to see. We created the pressure (with the ball) and brought wickets, and then to show the intent with the bat was awesome.
It was always a part of our game plan to see, how can we push this going forward? And how can we get the winning result?” When their turn came to bowl, India quickly reduced Bangladesh to 26 for two in the second innings, and for Morkel Test cricket is all about creating pressure,” Morkel added.
“If you can do that for a long period, you'll get results. I think there's so much experience, these guys that can sum up the conditions very well, so they know what's important in that moment.
And then, it's just a matter of executing it. You can have the best-laid plans, but if you can't execute them for a long period of time, you're going to fall short. But this group so far has been on the money, great to see how we adapt to conditions.” Morkel was also asked about the Indian batters' approach, especially Rishabh Pant changing tactics and playing to the situation,” the ex-Proteas cricketer added.
The 39-year-old said that the flexible approach gives the team a lot of advantages.
“We've got guys that can play different styles. If needed, they can take the game on. If needed, they can bat time. That's one of the advantages of our batting line-up is that we've got guys that can really sort of play the moment and put bowlers under pressure. That's one thing you want to do as a batter, is to put the bowlers under pressure. We've got the guys that know how to score big runs,” he detailed.
Morkel lauded the Indian team’s professionalism and said it was a privilege for him to be in this environment.
“For me, it's so far, so enjoyable to see how professional they are and how they go about their daily life to perform. When it comes to recovery, you know, it's right up there. When it comes to gym work, and fitness work, they honestly leave no stone unturned. I'm not surprised,” he added.
(PTI inputs)
