Soon after he joined the Indian Test team in Chennai in September, Morne Morkel made it clear what his main goal was – to ‘protect the set-up that runs itself.’ Two months into his tenure as the national team’s bowling coach, the former South African pacer’s first serious challenge is right in front of him.
Morkel has taken over from Paras Mhambrey, who inherited the gun attack from Bharat Arun when he came in as part of head coach Rahul Dravid’s coaching group in November 2021. Arun is the architect of India’s combination of an excellent fast bowling unit. led by Jasprit Bumrah, supported by Mohammed Shami and supplemented by Mohammed Siraj, who made an impressive debut in India’s last tour of Australia in 2020-21.
Siraj stayed back in Australia despite his father’s death in Hyderabad early in the tour on the advice of head coach Ravi Shastri. This was the time when he got Covid and the youngster returned home, he missed cricket, because of the quarantine rules that were in place at the time. Despite the massive personal tragedy, Siraj stood tall with his actions, inspiring an inexperienced group in the last Test in Brisbane, which India went to with very little taste of Test cricket in the bowling band, due to the death of an unfortunate injury.
India are now in Australia for the third time in six years, for the first five-Test series to go down since 1991-92, seeking an unprecedented third series victory in a country that has not won a series in 71 years until their arrival. 2018-19 tour. The India-Australia rivalry has been spiced up over the years and the fact that India not only managed to hold their own against Australia, but also beat them twice in a row, adds an edge to the upcoming contest.
But this series will be played against the backdrop of a humiliating 0-3 drubbing at home to New Zealand, the worst result will be a showdown of monumental proportions. The task ahead of the think-tank is humongous; until Rohit Sharma joins the team, perhaps in time for the second Test in Adelaide from December 6, designated vice-captain Bumrah will be in charge. Head coach Gautam Gambhir and Morkel, among others, need to ensure that Bumrah handles the twin responsibilities of lead bowler and captain without too much stress, as Bumrah the captain can be dropped, Bumrah is likely not.
Morkel has plenty of quicks to work on over the next two months, but not many with a taste for international cricket, let alone the five-day game. Shami’s return from heel surgery has hit a few snags in recent months and at this stage, it looks like he will play a minor role in Australia. His last competitive game was almost a year ago, in the 50-over World Cup final, and while his recovery and rehab progressed, he suffered an unrelated injury that prevented him from staying within the projected timeline for his comeback.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir and bowling coach Morne Morkel. | Photo Credit: MURALI KUMAR K
Very flawed
Without Shami, India are severely handicapped, beyond words. It may be tempting in early 2021 when India attack the Gabbatoir by handing Australia their first defeat in Brisbane in 32 years with a bowling attack that read Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini and two Tamil Nadu debutants, T. Natarajan and Washington Sundar, one must guard against expect miracles all the time. That’s why the added responsibility falls on the shoulders of Bumrah, easily the best all-format bowler in the world today going into his third Test tour of Australia, and Siraj, who has only featured sporadically since his exciting days in his debut series in 2020-21.
Apart from these two pedigree names, India’s pace attack includes Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy. Deep has played five Tests, all this year and all in India, in which he has taken 10 wickets. Prasidh made a debut to forget in Centurion last December, going for 93 runs in 20 overs in helpful conditions, and was used sparingly in his only other appearance, in Cape Town in January when India won by seven wickets in a veritable minefield. Rana has not represented the country in any format, Nitish has three Twenty20 International appearances. To say that Morkel has his work cut out would be an understatement.
A ‘self-running establishment’ is not like that. Shami’s unavailability is a big blow not only because of his skill but also because of his familiarity with Australian conditions. For those who have never played there, the demands are huge, especially the length. Australia’s pitches offer more bounce than India’s tracks, meaning the length needs to be fuller to bring the stumps – and therefore bowled and leg before – spin but not enough fullness to give Australia the highest ball buffet. order will always lay to.
‘Australian length’
On the face of it, length adjustment may seem easy, but those who have been there and done it will tell you that it is not easy. Bowlers who have honed their craft in India have to fight muscle memory and remember to stay at the ‘Australian length’ while also remembering that the batter is bowling. Morkel’s biggest task in the next 10 days ahead of the first Test in Perth from November 22 is to ensure that the greenhorn quartet who are largely behind Bumrah and Siraj understand the importance of bowling length and then start practicing it in the nets. on a consistent basis.
Morkel has been on two tours of Australia with the South African national team with decent success – 23 wickets from six Tests, although both the average and the strike-rate in Australia are not as good as their career numbers. He worked together with the magical Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini, Jacques Kallis and skilled Vernon Philander, and brought a dynamic that no one else in the side – release from a great height. Morkel stands at 1.96 meters (six feet four inches) and therefore can generate a disconcerting bounce of goodish length. He is also regularly in the 140-plus kmph bracket, which makes him more than a handful.
As a bowling coach, Morkel doesn’t have players with these attributes to work with, but he has seen a number of players closely in various capacities and knows the immense skill that India’s fast bowlers possess. He will take heart from Prasidh’s performance for India ‘A’ in the two-match series against Australia ‘A’ which ends on Friday. Although Ruturaj Gaikwad’s side have been soundly beaten in both games, Prasidh picked up 10 wickets and could make a strong case to be included as the third seamer if India look to improve their batting by including two spinning all-rounders, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington. Sundar, in playing XI in Perth. Without drawing parallels, there are shades of Morkel to Prasidh and if the South Africans can get the Indian wards to channel their inner Morkel, there will be relief for Bumrah and Siraj.
India’s pace attack has not looked this thin in the experience since the last Test tour in Australia, which can be an unforgiving place for overseas fast bowlers who can have a propensity to get carried away by the pace and bouncing pitches there are sacrifices. In addition to working on the skills and adaptations of this group, Morkel will also have to draw from his own side in Australia to ensure that the young crop maintains mental balance. More than most sports, cricket is played between the ears as much as on the field; clarity of thought and consistency in execution become hand in glove and the messaging that will flow from the new bowling coach to the ward that will understandably look up to him for guidance, wisdom and input.
Excellent reputation
Morkel has a good reputation as a bowling coach and was the automatic choice for the role when Gambhir replaced Dravid as India’s head coach. To say that he did not have the opportunity to display his cricketing intelligence during the five Tests at home would not be an exaggeration; just because he is a pacer does not preclude input for spinners. But there is no denying that he will have a more important and influential part to play in Australia over the next nine weeks and in England next summer, where India will be scrutinized again in another five-Test series.
Coaching can be good and frustrating. If the pre-planned plan works, then it will be a pleasure to plan the downfall of the opposition from the dressing room. But if the plan doesn’t find resonance in execution, the sense of helplessness at not being able to take matters into one’s own hands can be overwhelming. Perth and the pink-ball Test in Adelaide will provide a direct window into the ends of Morkel’s emotional spectrum and, by extension, what India will experience. Time has not been the Protean’s greatest ally – he has only been in the job for two months – and the lead-up to India’s most important Test series in a long time has not been ideal. In his consummate professional, Morkel will not dwell on this as much as on the task at hand, he gets the bowling field fighting fit and chomping on a bit, coming to Perth and November 22.
Published – November 11, 2024 12:48 IST
