I'm happy his body is in good shape at the moment - Morkel on Bumrah

Morne Morkel, India's bowling coach, has expressed his admiration for Jasprit Bumrah's rhythm and intensity during the team's practice sessions as they prepare for the first Test of the England series. Morkel stated he was 'blown away' by Bumrah's performance.

Morkel has been impressed with Bumrah's rhythm © AFP

Bumrah, 31, had a successful series in Australia last year. However, a back injury in Sydney sidelined him, preventing him from adding to his 32 wickets. This injury also kept him out of the Champions Trophy. He returned to competitive cricket in the recently concluded IPL, where he was limited to bowling only four overs per game.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir has already indicated that Bumrah will only participate in three Tests during the England tour. Morkel emphasized the importance of carefully managing Bumrah's workload. Despite this, he couldn't help but be impressed by Bumrah's performance in the nets.

"Bumrah knows how to get himself ready; he knows how to prepare," Morkel said on Wednesday. "I was blown away to see the energy on the ball the last three days. That's very exciting to see. I'm happy his body is in good shape at the moment."

Morkel added: "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, [there is] a lot to be excited [about] watching him bowl with the Dukes ball."

India's Bowling Combination

India faces several considerations regarding their bowling lineup, particularly with Bumrah in the XI. Nitish Reddy emerged as a promising talent during the Australia tour, highlighted by a Boxing Day century. However, he bowled only 44 overs across the five Tests. This resulted in increased workloads for frontline fast bowlers like Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, who bowled 151.2 and 157.1 overs, respectively.

Morkel expressed his desire to see Nitish bowl more if selected for the England tour. "The more bowling options we can have, that's great. He's skillful. 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."

He continued, "I've had conversations with him where I've challenged him to bowl a bit more, and I want to see the ball more in his hands. We all know what he can do with the bat. But for a team, if you can have those bowling options, especially in these conditions, I think he'll be one to be excited and compliment his bowling attack."

Importance of Match Fitness

Morkel stressed the importance of the entire team quickly adapting to the conditions and achieving match fitness. "You need to find a way to get up to speed as quick as possible, because that's going to be a real test. English outfields are quite heavy, the weather conditions are quite cold, so your body can stiffen up. It's one thing for me, ticking a box, doing well in the nets, but it's again, it's that match fitness, that time in the field that we need to, as quick as possible, find a way to get up to speed with."

India will participate in an intra-squad warm-up game from June 13 to June 16 in Beckenham. The teams will consist of a mix of players from the Test squad and the 'A' team. Following this, they will travel to Leeds for the first Test, commencing on June 20.