I’ve challenged Reddy to bowl a bit more: Morkel
Providing Bumrah with good support is going to be vital for India in England and that is where the allrounder will need to step up
MUMBAI: As they prepare for a series in England, the Indian pace attack would have quite liked how the Day 1’s play unfolded in the World Test Championship final between Australia and South Africa.
As India trained in Kent, at Lord’s, the Proteas’ spearhead Kagiso Rabada, well supported by Marco Jansen, ran through the Australia batting line-up with a five-wicket haul. The pace duo picked eight of the 10 wickets to bundle out Australia for 212 all out.
India’s chances in the five-Test series starting from June 20, at Leeds, to a large extent will depend on the irrepressible Jasprit Bumrah. An out and out match-winner, Bumrah’s presence provides India a cutting edge. However, to get the best out of him, how the team management manages his workload will be the key. As it is, concerns over his fitness mean that he is expected to be available for three Tests only.
Providing him with good support is going to be vital. It was an important lesson learned from the last series India played, against Australia in 2024-25.
With 32 wickets he was India’s stand-out bowler, but sending down 151.2 overs took its toll on him. The Gujarat pacer broke down in the fifth Test in Sydney, and with it evaporated India’s chances of equalising the series.
While Mohammed Siraj also bowled marathon spells for a total of 157.1 overs in the series, the gap in the bowling unit was the fourth pace bowler’s role. Nitish Kumar Reddy was selected in the playing eleven as a pace-bowling all-rounder. While he excelled as a batter, his pace bowling was pedestrian which resulted in the India captain losing confidence to use him for not more than 44 overs in five Tests combined. It put extra pressure on Bumrah.
Given the conditions in England are also going to favour the pacers, the fourth pacer’s role will again be important. Bowling coach Morne Morkel has told Reddy about the expectations the team has from him on the bowling front.
“I’ve had conversations with him where I’ve challenged him to bowl a bit more. I want to see the ball more in his hands. We all know what he can do with the bat. But for a team, if you can have those bowling options, especially in these conditions, I think he’ll be one to be excited and compliment his bowling at that,” said Morkel on the sidelines of India’s training session on Wednesday.
“I think he (Reddy) is skillful. He is a guy who can bowl that magical ball. So for him, it is about creating that consistency and that’s something we want to work on. It’s important for his game as well,” Morkel added.
To cover this department, the India selectors have picked Shardul Thakur as a cover for Reddy. The Mumbai player, with 11 Tests under his belt, played in the last series in England.
“In terms of the balance, we’ve got very happy with that. But for us as a bowling unit, finding that gear that we’re going to need in Test matches is going to be important,” said Morkel.
