‘Have to be at the top of…’ – WATCH: Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel give his thoughts on preparation for Test series vs England

India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel has given his view on training ahead of the first Test versus England starting next Friday. The Indian cricket team have been practising hard in the nets at Beckenham to get ready for the movement and pace that the English wickets have to offer. Morkel was particularly impressed with the way the young Indian side was getting ready for the challenges at hand. 

Bowling coach #MorneMorkel reveals how #TeamIndia is grinding it out — From swing and seam to bounce, the prep’s been intense, the intent even stronger.

Because 𝙮𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙝𝙣𝙚 𝙣𝙖𝙝𝙞, 𝙨𝙞𝙠𝙝𝙖𝙖𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙖𝙮𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙞𝙣! 🔥

For ENG v IND match highlights, player… pic.twitter.com/kut4wntCnO

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) June 11, 2025

The former South African pacer speaking to Star Sports India said, "Very happy with the preparation so far. The wickets are doing a lot more but this is common here at ground. Beckenham is always famous for a bit of extra bounce and pace. I don’t think we are going to see that sort of movement and pace in this Test series.”

Morkel added, “But it is great for the guys to get used to the Duke ball and work on different sorts of skill sets; that is going to be crucial for us in this Test series. England, the brand of cricket they play – we need to be at the top of our game. So we can't really afford to find our feet in the series." That’s one of the things that has impressed me in these last days."

Morne Morkel set his eyes on Nitish Reddy’s Reddy’sbowling.g 

The former South African pacer has singled out Nitish Kumar Reddy as one of the players who can do well with the ball. Morkel said that Reddy can be a handful on the wickets and conditions England, which could be ideal for the medium pacer. Reddy has picked a handful of wickets in his short Test career. 

“I think he (Reddy) is isskilfull. He can bowl that magical ball,” said Morkel during India's training session. “It’s about building consistency — that’s what we want to work on. “It’s important for game,” said Morkel about Nitish Kumar Reddy’s bowling ahead of the English Test series. 

India’s bowling coach also added, “We all know what he can do with But in these conditions, if he can offer us something with the ball, he becomes a very exciting option. We haven’t played Tests for a while. In England, the conditions may help, especially when it’s overcast, but you still get good batting surfaces. So the sharpness, that Test-match fitness — that’s what we’re working on.”