‘Very bruised’: Morne Morkel reveals why Rishabh Pant didn’t stay while Dhruv Jurel took gloves | cricket news
NEW DELHI: India bowling coach Morne Morkel has revealed that Rishabh Pant’s shoulder is “severely bruised” after the wicketkeeper-batsman missed his maintenance duties on Day 3 in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo.Pant suffered the injury on the opening day after receiving a blow to his wrist and was forced to retire injured. He returned on Day 2 and scored a spirited 63 off 89 balls but did not take the field after India declared their first innings at 503 for nine.Dhruv Jurel, who scored a century on the second day, continued behind the stumps on Tuesday as Pant stayed away from the rigors of wicketkeeping as a precautionary measure.“Rishabh Pant’s shoulder is badly bruised. He will be assessed overnight, we want his experience behind the stumps because he reads the game very well,” Morkel said at the post-day press conference.
Morkel backs Prasidh, praises Siraj
Pant’s injury update came after India’s bowlers failed to finish off Sri Lanka on Day 3. The hosts reached 265 for eight before rain and bad light forced early stumps, with Sonal Dinusha unbeaten on 85.Morkel was particularly pleased with the character displayed by Prasidh Krishna, who produced two spirited spells and helped India regain momentum during the day.“It shows the character of Prasidh Krishna… a guy who had the media and commentators behind him. As a team and management we knew the potential, for him it was about silencing those voices. He lets his thoughts go, loves bowling, does his homework and researches. A great student of the game. He has the potential and talent to play all formats for a long time.”He also praised Mohammed Siraj for his tireless efforts on a difficult surface.“Siraj is a guy you want in your team. He can bowl all day from a winger with body pain. Even today, in flat conditions. He kept running and has been the key guy for us. It’s lucky to have him in the team. Prasidh has extra pace and bounce. We need to use him in phases… he can be risky. The whole team is behind him and supports him even when the results are not the way he wants. My job is to talk about these things and give him confidence…”
India seeks quick end to enforce follow-up
Sri Lanka recovered from 8 for two but recovered thanks to Pasindu Sooriyabandara’s 80 and a series of lower-order partnerships.
Dinusha then held his own for 201 minutes, scoring 57 with Keshara Nuwantha and an unbeaten 35 with Lahiru Kumara.Sri Lanka still need 38 runs to avoid the follow-on after India scored 503 for nine.Morkel acknowledged the challenge posed by the home team’s tail and stressed the importance of maintaining pressure after advances.“Test cricket is a grind. Tough conditions, tough conditions. The ball goes soft, it was a good day of Test cricket. We always talk about bowling in partnership and under pressure. The fun is getting forward and then how well you can start again. The follow-up will be India’s first objective, we want to get those wickets quickly and be brave and get them back,” Morne Morkel said.
