Follow UsIndia’s bowling coach Morne Morkel has been “blown away” by the energy Jasprit Bumrah has displayed in the net sessions ahead of the five-match Test series against England, starting on June 20 at Headingley. The ace paceman will most likely feature in only three Tests to manage his workload, but is leaving no stone unturned in preparation for the series.
"Bumrah knows how to get himself ready; he knows how to prepare. I was blown away to see the energy on the ball over the last three days. That's very exciting to see. I'm happy his body is in good shape at the moment,” said former South African paceman Morkel, reported ESPNcricinfo.
"We'll manage him with that. We'll be smart with him because he's obviously key for us, but in terms of the first three net sessions, lot to be excited watching him bowl with the Dukes ball."
Apart from Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, and Prasidh Krishna are the four other frontline seamers in the Indian squad. There’s Nitish Kumar Reddy as well, and Morkel feels the young all-rounder will have an impact with the ball in the series.
"The more bowling options we can have, that's great. He's skilful. He's a guy that can bowl that magical ball, so for him it's about creating that consistency, it's something we want to work on, it's important for his game as well. I've had conversations 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. For a team, if we can have the bowling options, especially in these conditions, I think he'll be exciting and can complement this bowling attack."
Morkel said Indian bowlers will have to be in rhythm right from the start of the series. "England - the brand of cricket they play, we need to be on top of our game. We can't afford to find our feet in this series. That's one of the things that has impressed me so much in the two days, the few sessions we've had.
"The guys have stepped up by themselves, they've taken the ownership and responsibility, they've realised it's going to be a tough tour. That's the pleasing thing for us as coaches, to see guys taking that leadership and ownership at practice."