Mohammed Siraj is a guy that I've got a lot of respect for: Morne Morkel

Team India bowling coach Morne Morkel has heaped praise on the Indian pacers Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep, who have scalped 13 wickets between them so far in the ongoing Birmingham Test against England.

As India is aiming to level the Test series 1-1 before they move to the Lord’s, they have set a 608-run target for England in the fourth innings. With Bumrah not part of the XI in this Test, Indian bowlers need seven more wickets to win the Test.

Speaking at the post-day press conference, Morkel stated that it was a pleasing sign from the bowling point of view that Siraj and Akash stepped up in the absence of their most experienced pacer in the XI.

"Very, very happy so far. 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 said in the post-day press conference.

Siraj, who had a not-so-impressive Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against Australia, scalped his first-ever fifer in England on a flat wicket in Birmingham. Morkel stated that Siraj often doesn’t get the deserved credit for whatever he does.

"Siraj is a guy that I've got a lot of respect for. He's a guy that always will 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,” he added.

"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,” he stated.

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