ENG vs IND | ‘I don't think we give him enough credit’ - Morne Morkel on Mohammed Siraj

‌With India suffering a morale-sapping five-wicket loss at Headingley in Leeds last month and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah out of action in the second game, the onus was on Mohammed Siraj to lead the inexperienced pace attack against a marauding England batting lineup. The Hyderabad pacer delivered in some style as he picked up his fourth five-wicket haul en route to ending with figures of 6/70 in the first innings to help India secure a lead of 180 runs.

Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel was impressed with Siraj stepping up as the leader of the inexperienced pace-bowling unit. With Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna playing their eighth and fifth Test, respectively, Siraj had to play the dual role of mentoring the quicks on the field apart from putting his body on the line and coming up with something special with the ball.

"Siraj is a guy that I've got a lot of respect for," Morkel said. "He's a guy that will always push his body to the limits. I think sometimes the guilty part of him is trying too hard. So for us, it's about managing that sort of aggression and managing that intensity because he really bowls with his heart on his sleeve. I think sometimes those sorts of things can give you that inconsistency.

"In a match that he's now the leader of the attack, he got the wickets, but for me, in terms of effort and energy and with a sore body, he's always done and will put his hand up, and he wants to bowl that over. I don't think sometimes we give him enough credit for that."

Morkel also highlighted that the young unit had learnt a quick lesson from the dashing they got during the first Test and executed the changes on the go. India had some nervy moments in the game when Harry Brook and Jamie Smith took the short-pitch bowling plan to the cleaners during their 303-run partnership. But once Akash Deep struck to dismiss Brook, the pace duo cleaned up the tail, conceding just 20 runs.

"Very, very happy so far," Morkel said. "We had a deep or good discussion after the last Test in terms of areas we want to improve on, and I think we've done that. So that's a pleasing sign from a growing bowling attack, missing one of their most experienced players so they can react to those sorts of things."

Morkel also took note of Akash Deep’s accurate stump-to-stump bowling that has rewarded him during both innings. The pacer came up with a dream delivery to dismiss England's most-experienced batter Joe Root towards the end of the day’s play on Saturday. With Root’s wicket, India are strongly placed in the driver’s seat with England needing a further 536 runs for an improbable win.

"He is an attacking bowler that asks questions, bowling at the stumps a lot," Morkel said. "I think that's one of the golden rules here in England: asking questions on the stumps. And coming back from injury and seeing him running in with high pace, it's a nice sign for us.

"That was a dream delivery... top quality player Joe Root and to dismiss him in that fashion just shows the quality of Akash, what he can do. Hopefully that delivery, he will play over in his phone tonight, and then bring a couple more of those tomorrow."