India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel
Credit: X/@BCCI
Pune: India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel said he didn’t want a 'punch-up' between bowlers and batters, but in the same breath, he said the batters had let the team down.
India, after giving away 259 runs to New Zealand in the first innings, were bowled out for 156 in the second innings with Mitchell Santner picking up seven wickets. New Zealand then added 198 runs in the second innings to extend the lead to 301 runs with the potential for more runs on the third day of the second Test here.
“We were not able to rotate strike properly and we let them get into a rhythm and they kept pegging away,” said the former South African seamer. “I will admit that they (the batters) are costing us at the moment, but they are world-class and know how to get the best out of themselves when they have their backs pressed against the wall.
“I can’t pinpoint anything. We could have played a bit smarter, but we are struggling to find rhythm and momentum.”
Morkel also lauded the Kiwis for coming to India with a plan in place, and showing they could adapt to conditions on the fly.
“Give credit to them, they have adapted to conditions and played the game well. They have been playing important moments better than us. They’re also creating pressure with the bat and the ball,” he said.
As for the possibility of India winning the game, Merkel sounded mildly optimistic, saying: “This is a funny game. Our guys are attacking players. We are masters in these conditions. This is a great chance for someone to inspire and put in a top performance. I back a strong response in the second innings.”
Santner, meanwhile, looked a whole lot tired but definitely pleased with the day.
“The way I bowled today is how I bowl in white-ball cricket,” he said in the post-day’s press conference. “I got an idea of the speeds I need to bowl at after watching the Indians the day before. Figured that bowling it slower is making the ball grip and turn while pushing it through is helping it slide on.”
One of the key features of Santner’s bowling on the day was that he kept zoning in on the stumps and rarely altered his line, this while varying pace, angles of release and using the crease.
“Stump to stump works best on pitches like this, they have enough help in them as it is. That’s why there were a lot of leg-before-wickets and bowleds,” he noted. “In the second innings too that will be the plan. I expect them to come harder, more aggressively, but remaining at the stumps usually is the best ploy.”