Morne Morkel backs India to bounce back in Pune Test
What's the story
India's fast bowling coach, Morne Morkel, has backed the team to make a comeback in the ongoing second Test against New Zealand.
The visitors currently lead by a mammoth 301 runs. This puts India under the pump to avoid a home Test series loss for the first time in 12 years.
However, despite the tough situation, Morkel is hopeful about India's chances.
Coach's confidence
Morkel's faith in team's adaptability and resilience
However, Morkel has faith in his team's ability to adapt and overcome the current challenge.
"We have to believe. This game is a funny game," he said during the post-day press meet.
He further emphasized that the Indian players are well-versed with these conditions, having previously demonstrated their mastery over them.
Despite acknowledging the difficulty of the task ahead, Morkel maintained his belief in the team's potential for a strong comeback.
Potential heroes
Morkel sees opportunity for standout performances
However, Morkel sees the current situation as an opportunity for players to stand up and deliver extraordinary performances.
"What an opportunity it is for somebody to really inspire and put in a fighting and top performance," he said.
He said he was looking forward to the team's response in their second innings, adding, "I back the team with a strong response in our second innings."
Scoring strategy
Morkel acknowledges need for 1st-innings runs
Morkel emphasized the significance of scoring in the first innings of Test cricket.
He conceded that India has failed to do so in this match, saying, "I never like to have a punch up between batters and bowlers, but in Test match cricket, you need to score the first innings runs."
However, despite this disappointment, he is optimistic about India's prospects in their second innings.
Performance
Indian batters surrender against spin
Resuming the second day at 16/1, India started well before losing wickets in a cluster.
Youngsters Yashasvi Jaiswal (30) and Shubman Gill (30) threw away their starts.
As a result, India went from 50/1 to 103/7. The total (156/10) would have been even lower had Ravindra Jadeja not scored a fiery 46-ball 38.
Besides him, Washington Sundar scored an unbeaten 18 off 21 balls.