IND vs AUS: Will Reddy make India Test debut in Perth? Morkel gives update

Team India bowling coach Morne Morkel is optimistic that the bowling attack they have brought with them can produce some brilliant displays, especially in the conditions at Perth.

 

Morkel emphasised Nitish Reddy, who will be making his debut in Australia, and said he will be one of the players people need to keep an eye on during the course of the series.  Check IND vs AUS 1st Test Day 1 LIVE SCORE AND MATCH UPDATES HERE      Morkel looking forward to watch Nitish Reddy's display Down Under

 

"[Reddy] is one of the young guys that we've mentioned. He's got that sort of batting, all-round ability. He'll be a guy that can sort of hold that one end up first. He hits the bat a little bit harder than you think. So, in these sort of conditions where there might be a little bit of seam movement up front, especially in the first couple of days, he'll be a very accurate wicket-to-wicket style of bowler. It's a lovely opportunity for him to hold that all-rounder spot," Morkel said.

 

"Any team in the world always wants an all-rounder to take that load off your fast bowlers, just to give them an extra bit of breathing time. So how we use him, how Jasprit is going to use him, with maybe the spinner, to give himself and whoever's going to be the other quicks time to catch their breath a little bit, is going to be important. He's a player you can keep your eye on in this series," he added.  Morkel dealing with young bowlers for the series

 

Morkel has had his hands full in recent days, guiding a group of bowlers with limited Test experience. While India's stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah and his regular new-ball partner Mohammed Siraj had a solid session at the Optus Stadium nets, their supporting bowlers—uncapped Reddy and Harshit Rana, along with Prasidh Krishna, who has only played two Tests—face the tough task of replicating their domestic and India-A success on a full Test tour. Morkel has been aiding them by sharing his own experiences of playing in Australia.

 

"It's great to have them around in the squad. I think they add a lot of variation to their attack, especially Harshit, who bowls at a good pace and finds a way to also extract some bounce out of the surface," Morkel said of Prasidh and pacer Harshit Rana.

 

"It's their first tour. Prasidh had a bit of experience with the India-A tour where he had some game time, but for Harshit it's a bit of an unknown. My message to him was just, when I toured for the first time here, playing in Australia, an intimidating place, to listen to the stories and take their advice. But for me, it's just about staying in your own bubble and finding those experiences, working them out for yourself."

 

India's batting may also depend on some of their newer players stepping up. If Devdutt Padikkal is included at No. 3 and Dhruv Jurel at No. 6 in the XI on Friday, it could be the youngest combined team to start a tour since the 1947 series in Australia.