Morkel feels India need to bat away first-innings woes

pune: The batters’ constant failure in making runs in the first innings is costing the team dear, admitted bowling coach Morne Morkel even as India are in danger of losing the first Test series at home since 2012-13.

After getting bundled out for an abysmal 46 in the first innings of the opening Test, India were skittled out for a mere 156 in the first essay of second Test here on Friday.

“I never like to have a punch up between batters and bowlers but, in Test match cricket you need to score the first innings runs,” Morkel told the media during the post-day press meet.

“If we put our hand up, we haven’t been able to do that. There are world class players in our batting line up. I know that individually, they’ve got their processes and they know how to go about those things,” he added.

Morkel said India will have to maintain belief and back their knowledge of the conditions to avert losing the match and the series.“We have to believe. Our guys are attacking players, there’s guys that know these conditions well. Our talk before this game was that we are masters in these conditions, we know how to sum these conditions

up,” he said.