India’s bowling coach, Morne Morkel, dismissed the theory about Jasprit Bumrah being underprepared for the tour of England with only a few Indian Premier League (IPL) matches under his belt.

“He (Bumrah) knows how to get himself ready and prepare. I was blown away by the energy in his bowling over the last three days. So that’s very exciting to see a happy ‘Boom, ’" Morne Morkel told reporters during India’s training session.
“I’m just happy his body is in good shape at the moment, and we’ll manage him well.

Morkel is confident that the Indian team has covered all its bases in squad selection.

“I think we’ve covered all bases. But our key now is to get Test match fit and ready, to regain that sharpness since we haven’t played Test matches for a while.

“In England, the conditions can suit you if it’s overcast, but the surfaces will still be good. We’re going to be testing that."

The key is to have players fit and match-ready to ensure they can stay on the field for 90 overs, said Morkel.

“We’ve only had three sessions so far. We’ve got a four-day warm-up game against India A starting in two days. I’ll be more interested to see how our guys perform in that game," Morkel said.

While India has already had three sessions, Morkel said it’s not a great indicator of a player’s ability to stay on the field.

“It’s one thing to judge a net session, but for our guys to stand in the field and get used to doing 90 overs, that’s going to take some time.

“We need to find a way to get up to speed as quickly as possible because that’s going to be a real test."

Morkel couldn’t be happier watching the players take ownership and responsibility during training sessions.

“That’s one of the things that has impressed me so much in these two days. The guys have stepped up by themselves, taking ownership and responsibility, realising that it’s going to be a tough tour.

“As coaches, it’s pleasing to see players taking leadership and ownership in practice."