Morne Morkel impressed with Jasprit Bumrah’s preparation ahead of first Test against England

India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel was impressed with Jasprit Bumrah’s preparation before the opening Test match against England. Bumrah is going to hold the key on the England tour as he will be India’s pack leader.

The ace pacer was brilliant on the tour of Australia, where he picked 32 wickets in five Test matches at a stunning average of 13.06. Bumrah had scalped 18 wickets in four Test matches on the England tour in 2021 at an average of 20.83.

After his stellar performances in 2024, Bumrah was awarded the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year and the Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year.

The former lanky South African pacer, Morkel, said he was blown away to see the energy on the ball from Bumrah, as he ticked the right boxes in the practice sessions.

Morkel said as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo, “Bumrah knows how to get himself ready, he knows how to prepare. 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. 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, lot to be excited watching him bowl with the Dukes ball.”

On the other hand, Morkel revealed he challenged all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy to bowl more in the training sessions.

“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. I’ve had conversations where I’ve challenged him to bowl a bit more. I want to see the ball more in his hands, we all know what he can do with the bat. For a team, if we can have the bowling options especially in these conditions, I think he’ll be exciting and can complement this bowling attack.”

The opening Test match between India and England will be played at Leeds, Headingley, from June 20 onwards.