Managing workload of pacers for five Test series right after IPL can be an issue: Morkel

India bowling coach Morne Morkel on Friday said managing the workload of fast bowlers during a five-match Test series can be an issue right after an IPL season, referring to the injuries faced by the current crop of pacers in England.

The IPL final on June 3 and the first Test in England (June 20) had a gap of nearly three weeks between them but lasting the whole series was always going to be a challenge for the fast bowlers.

“It’s a real test. We play three Test match series a lot and this is now our first time in a while we’ve done this with five. It shouldn’t be excused, but in terms of conditioning, getting our guys conditioned and getting them ready for five Test series coming straight up after IPL, is sometimes an issue,” said Morkel in the post-day press conference.

Injury-prone pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been earmarked for three Tests in the series while Mohammed Siraj has played all four games thus far.

The signs of fatigue are showing with average speeds of Bumrah and Co. going down in the ongoing Manchester Test.

Akash Deep got injured after playing a couple of Tests and Arshdeep Singh suffered a hand injury while training, worsening India’s injury woes.

“… because you have to balance between Test matches, getting these guys a good amount of recovery time to also keep their bowling loads up. And that’s why it’s important for us to look at the future and get a good core of five, six bowlers that we can replace and these guys can come in and they can do the job. But at the moment, there’s not a lot of experience with the ball.

“We’ve got Siraj, we’ve got Bumrah who has played a handful in the first, and then Akash has played a little bit, but he’s out injured. So, we keep on finding ways to bring new guys.

“So it is not easy at the moment. This is just a phase that we need now to work through and get these guys stronger, to last for the rest of the Test matches,” said Morkel.

Morkel had no qualms in accepting that the Indian pacers were ordinary on day two before putting up a better performance on Friday. He also spoke about Anshul Kamboj who has found it tough on debut.

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“Much better today with the ball. I thought yesterday was a tough day for us in the office. We missed our lines, putting us slightly on the back foot, but I thought the way the boys responded this morning, especially Siraj and Bumrah with the ball, was good to see.

“And yeah, from there, you know, we tried our best with trying to create opportunities on a wicket played better than the first couple of days. Discipline and holding those lines were key. And that was something I think we missed on day one.”

On the injuries to Bumrah and Siraj on day three, he said: “Yeah, unfortunately, when we took the second new ball, Booms rolled his ankles going down the stairs. And then Siraj also, I think, rolled his foot in one of the footholds. But they seemed to be okay.”

He also spared a thought for Kamboj, who clocked underwhelming speeds in the range of 125 kmph.

“Unfortunately, there’s no place to hide. And, you know, we support him as best as we can, through conversations. But it’s also for him, it’s good learning.

“And I think everybody in the dressing room is constantly telling him to keep going and supporting him. That’s part of international cricket, it’s good to get a taste for it and know, moving forward, what he needs to do to play at this level.

“So, you know, it’s through good conversations and just keep on supporting him. He can definitely bowl quicker,” added Morkel.