Team India bowling coach Morne Morkel applauded the New Zealand bowlers for adapting to the conditions perfectly as they put constant pressure on India during the second Test at the MCA Stadium in Pune. He also added that it is a great opportunity for someone from the Indian team to inspire a comeback, with the Men in Blue on the verge of their first home Test series defeat since 2012.
New Zealand wrecked havoc with the ball while showing immense grit and determination with the bat, as the visitors found themselves at 198/5 in the second innings with a massive lead of 301 on a tricky Pune pitch. India, after conceding 259 in the first innings, were bundled out for 156 runs as Mitchell Santner bagged his first fifer in Test cricket, finishing with the figures of 7/53.
“I think they bowled very well in partnerships. Watching from the outside, it was very hard for us to rotate strike, to keep the scoreboard ticking. I think in these sorts of conditions, where the ball is turning and asking the batter questions, it is important to do that. I thought the pace that Santner bowled today in particular was spot on for this surface,” Morkel told reports at the end of Day 2 in Pune.
“I must give credit to New Zealand. The way they’ve adapted to conditions, the way they’ve blocked out what is in front of them and played the game has been incredible so far in this series. Definitely in Bangalore and here, playing those sessions, playing those important moments, they’ve done it better than us at the moment.”
After losing skipper Rohit Sharma for a nine-ball duck on Day 1, youngsters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill resumed the day for the hosts. However, a middle order collapse and some lousy batting show helped Kiwi spinners to constantly castle the Indian batters.
When asked what was the plan on Day 2, Morkel said: “Day two, you know, arriving here this morning, being one down, our batters were very confident that we were going to bat big. But unfortunately, we just couldn’t get that momentum going. I think you want to be playing cricket on the front foot in conditions like that. We just couldn’t find that rhythm and that momentum today with the bat.”
New Zealand skipper Tom Latham produced a fantastic knock of 86 followed by a handy 30 unbeaten from Tom Blundell. When asked what went wrong for Indian bowlers on Day 2, Morkel said, “Today was obviously a very tough day. We were sort of again slightly on the back foot, trying to bowl New Zealand out and get ourselves into the game. I can’t fault the guy’s effort.
“Even Bumrah, he tried today, he tried his heart out. Ashwin is a strike bowler, he’s taken 500 plus Test wickets, so he’s a guy that would want to get the team back into the game. Washington, for a guy who has played limited Test matches, showed a lot of maturity, gave us a lot of control, that was great to see. It’s probably just a personal reflection for the players and tomorrow, we can regroup and come up with game plans.”
With a series-levelling win looking improbable, the Rohit Sharma-led side would have to pull off something extraordinary to make a comeback in the Pune Test. Do the boys believe?
“What an opportunity for somebody to really inspire and put in a fighting and top performance. That’s the way I see it is when conditions are tricky and tough, you’ll see real people stand up and fight. I think if we show that fight and somebody gets the innings and gets the momentum going, in these conditions, you never know,” Morkel said. “I back the team with a strong response in our second innings. Excited to see how they bounce back and how they play the situation and the conditions.”
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