Morne Morkel throws Shubman Gill under the bus for stupid captaincy vs England

Shubman Gill came under fire on Day 3 of the fourth Test against England in Manchester, especially for delaying Washington Sundar’s introduction into the bowling attack. Team India bowling coach Morne Morkel revealed that Gill decided to stick with the pace bowlers instead of bringing in Sundar.

Sundar was brought into the bowling attack in the 69th over, when England were in a position at 305/2. It was a surprising move, especially considering his performance in the previous Test at Lord’s, where he took 4/22 in the second innings. Sundar made an immediate impact in his first spell.

The 25-year-old spinner dismissed a well-set Ollie Pope for 71 and removed Harry Brook for a low score. He ended the day with figures of 2/57 from 19 overs. The decision to delay Sundar’s introduction left many, including former cricketers, baffled. He should have been brought in much earlier.

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Morne Morkel on Shubman Gill’s Decision to Persist with Pace Over Washington Sundar

Morne Morkel openly said that Shubman Gill decided to stick with pace bowlers for too long. Morkel added that it may have been a mistake not to introduce Washington Sundar earlier.

"Shubman just made the call in there to stick a little bit longer with the seam options," Morkel said.

"I think in the first couple of days we saw the ball moving around and seaming around and pace on the ball was the way to go and then when we got the opportunity to bowl, we missed our length."

"So did we bowl enough good balls to say that we need to go to spin straightaway? I don't think so. And I think when he got the opportunity today with ball in hand, Washi did a great job for us."

Morne Morkel Reveals Why Anshul Kamboj Was Picked Ahead of Prasidh Krishna

Morne Morkel revealed the reason behind selecting debutant Anshul Kamboj, saying that the team needed a bowler who could bowl long spells with accuracy. Morkel added that the team management felt this was the right time to give him an opportunity.

"The discussion going into the Test match was somebody, a bowler that can bowl volume, one guy to bowl overs. Somebody who can ask questions at the stumps, off stump, an accurate sort of bowler."

"And Anshul, I think I'm sure at domestic level has done that. He's done really well on the India A tour here, and he was a guy whose name's been in the mix for a long time, and they gave him the opportunity for that."

Morne Morkel Opens Up on Shardul Thakur’s Limited Bowling Role

Morkel also spoke about the limited use of Shardul Thakur when the opposition is scoring at over five runs per over. He added that captains tend to rely more on their main strike bowlers to break partnerships and regain control.

"A bit of a tough fit when you have four seamers. When you're going at five runs and over, I think as a captain, you want to bring strike bowlers back to try and take the wickets. Unfortunately, it happened for Shadul in that first Test match as well."

Ravindra Jadeja also took two wickets in England’s innings. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj claimed one wicket each, despite bowling long spells.

Anshul Kamboj, who took his first Test wicket on Day 2, couldn’t add to his tally on Friday, while Shardul Thakur also ended without a wicket.

Also read: Huge boost for India: Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh resume bowling after being ruled out of Manchester Test