Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel provided an update on Jasprit Bumrah’s injury after day two of the second Test between India and Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday. Bumrah appeared to struggle during the 81st over of Australia’s innings, pulling up after Travis Head had hit a boundary. The physio quickly attended to him, and Bumrah was seen holding his adductor muscle. However, after receiving treatment, Bumrah continued bowling and even claimed a wicket shortly after.
Morkel reassured the media that it was only a cramp and that Bumrah was “fine.” He added, “Firstly, with Bumrah, he’s fine; it was just this cramp. Yeah, even because after that, you know, he bowled and you got the wickets twice.”
Bumrah finished the day with figures of 4 for 61, playing a crucial role in India dismissing Australia for 337. His wickets included Nathan McSweeney (39), Steve Smith (2), Pat Cummins (12), and Usman Khawaja (13), the latter dismissed on Friday.
Reflecting on the challenges faced by the Indian bowlers, Morkel cited their limited experience in pink-ball cricket. “With the pink-ball so far in this match, there’s always a little something in the wicket. If you’re consistent in your area, there was the odd ball that nipped around. At the end of the day, it’s having the plans and executing them in partnership for long enough,” Morkel said.
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He further explained, “I think that’s what Australia has done in this Test match so far, the guys that bowled well on day one made scoring for us tough. But when a ball gets a little bit softer, it can get easier to score and then you’ve got the night session to think and worry about.”
Morkel acknowledged that the team was still adapting to the unique conditions of pink-ball cricket, stating, “In terms of tempo, I think this team is still figuring out what is the best way to play pink-ball cricket because we don’t have a lot of experience playing the pink-ball. So it is learning but also it’s fast learning because now it’s a Test match and you’re behind the game.”
