Adelaide Test: Morne Morkel admits Indian pacers underutilized pink ball
India's bowling coach Morne Morkel has admitted that the team's pacers failed to capitalize on the benefits of the pink ball under lights. This was on the first evening of the day-night Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval. Despite a better show on Day 2, Australia took a mammoth 157-run lead. "In the first Test match, our lines and lengths were exceptional," Morkel told reporters.
Morkel highlights missed opportunities and inconsistent lengths
Morkel noted the team missed opportunities and were inconsistent with their lengths, especially with the new ball. "We wanted to bring stumps into play as much as we can," he said. "I felt that last night with the ball moving around a bit. We missed that, we were slightly off the mark in finding the right length." He added at times they were a touch wide which allowed Australia to leave many balls.
Bumrah and Siraj's performances earn Morkel's praise
Despite the team's overall performance, Morkel lauded Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj for their standout performances. Bumrah returned with impressive figures of 4/61, while Siraj also found success late in the innings with a four-wicket haul. "This morning, we got more balls in the right area, more consistently. We bowled better in partnerships," Morkel said about their improved performance on Day 2 of the Adelaide Test against Australia.
Morkel sympathizes with Rana's challenging outing
On the other hand, Harshit Rana had a tough outing in his second Test match, giving away 86 runs without a wicket. Morkel sympathized with the young pacer and saw this as a learning opportunity for him. "Harshit Rana is playing his second Test match, it will be a big learning curve for him," Morkel said about the young player's performance in the Adelaide Test against Australia.
How has the match proceeded?
A sensational six-fer from Mitchell Starc meant India were folded for 180 in the first innings. Australia posted 337/10 in reply thanks to a brilliant 140 from Travis Head and a 64 from Marnus Labuschagne. As mentioned, Bumrah and Siraj dismissed four batters apiece. India were off to a horrendous start in their second outing as they finished the day at 128/5.
