Bowling coach Morne Morkel on Sunday accepted that Indian bowlers failed to execute plans against Australian century-maker Travis Head and exhorted them to tidy up their act with the old ball between overs 50 and 80.
Head and fellow centurion Steve Smith helped the hosts clobber 171 runs in 31 overs in the third session on the second day of the third Test in Brisbane, adding to a wicketless post-lunch segment.
Australia closed the day at a highly satisfying 405 for seven.
“First of all, we can say he's (Head) in pretty good form. But I think for us with the ball, if you look at it from overs 50 to 80, even in the last game, is where we fall short, leaking (runs) a little bit. So, that's one area I think we need to get better at,” Morkel said in the post-day press conference.
Morkel said the Indian bowlers could not sustain the momentum after taking three wickets in the morning session.
“First up with the ball this morning, we were pretty good, at 3 for 70, but took nothing away from two world-class players. Smith we know, he's a guy who also can bat long and score runs. They (Smith and Head) put a partnership there and put us under pressure with a softer ball.
“It's definitely an area that we need to focus on, maybe deeper in the innings. Yes, we've got the game plans, but are we executing those game plans with a softer ball from both ends? That's something we need to get better at,” getting added.
The former South African quick explained the pre-set plan against Head, though it eventually fell flat on its back.
“Our plan going into this game was to bowl a little bit more over the wicket, a straighter line. We felt he played it quite nicely in Adelaide when we came around (the wicket). The margins to him are just so small and like I said, once he's in, what is the best way for the team and for you (is) to maybe slow down the scoring rate because you know he's going to be aggressive.
“The best way (of controlling Head) is bringing a little bit of control into the game and like I said, from over 50 with that softer ball, that's where we're leaking (runs). When Head comes on straight, the pitch kind of feels to (be favourable) a side,” he added.
“I'm not taking anything away from that, but it is a venue where getting used to bowling the right length and trusting that, it does take a bit of time.”
Pacer Jasprit Bumrah singlehandedly shepherded India's bowling with a fifer and Morkel did not read too much into the rather underwhelming efforts of other seamers Mohammed Siraj and luck-less Akash Deep.
“I thought Akash did really well, he bowled his heart out, same for Siraj. Siraj struggled, cramped, early on in the day, so, for him to still run in, close and bowl short balls and bowl that new ball spell for me, was great."
“Of course, you need somebody to back him (Bumrah) up, but I honestly can't fault the effort from the other seamers today.
“Akash asked good questions with the new ball up front, asked good questions with the older ball and on another day could have easily picked up three wickets, but that's the nature of this game,” he said.
Morkel supported left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who replaced R Ashwin for this Test, despite him having a bit of rough day.
Jadeja gave away 76 runs in 16 wicketless overs at the ‘Gabba'.
“Jaddu, coming into this match didn't haven't had a lot of game time, but he's also a guy who has taken a lot of Test wickets. He's a very experienced player and we just felt we wanted to bring in the left-arm option as something different, you know, sitting with Rohit."
“Jaddu is a guy that can also offer us a lot with the bat, unfortunately, today if you know it wasn't his day as a spinner. But, yeah, Jaddu for me is a world-class player and you know he'll work it out,” he added.
Morkel also defended the decision to bowl first after winning the toss, saying they were confident of controlling the Aussie batters.
“I just thought, looking at the surface, if we can get the ball in the right area we can take wickets. I thought controlling the run-rate for a big part of the game and staying patient was key and if we could have added one or two wickets, winning the toss and bowling first would have worked.
“But unfortunately we are on the other side of it and we just need to take the positives out of it. So, when we do get that opportunity tomorrow it's about getting through the new ball because I honestly feel like it's a bit of a new ball surface.
“For us it's important now to put today aside and get our minds switched on and stay strong for a big batting innings,” he added.
