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India bowling coach Morne Morkel on Sunday reflected on Steve Smith-Travis Head's partnership at the Brisbane Test in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy and said that they put pressure on the visitors.
After the Aussies were reduced to 75 for 3, Smith steadied the innings, finding much-needed runs, while Head motored to his second successive Test century, continuing his prolific form against India. The duo shared a massive 241-run partnership before Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Smith, who was caught behind by skipper Rohit Sharma in the slips. Head smashed 152 runs off 160 balls at an impressive strike rate of 95.00, hitting 18 fours during his stay at the crease on Day 2 of the Brisbane Test. Meanwhile, Smith contributed a measured 101 off 190 balls at a strike rate of 53.16. Speaking at the press conference after the day's play, Morkel praised Travis Head and said that he's in pretty good form. "First of all, we can say he's in pretty good form, guys playing like that. In that fashion, back-to-back innings, we can only give that also a lot of credit. But I think for us with the ball, if you look at it from over 50 to 80, even in the last game, at the moment, it's where we sort of fall short, leaking a little bit," Morkel said. He added that the Smith-Head partnership put India under pressure with a softer, older ball. The bowling coach accepted that India needs to focus on restricting runs from older balls in the future. "So that's one area that I think we need to get better at. I think first up with the ball this morning, we were pretty good. At 3 for 70, you put two on the scoreboard there and you're right back in the game. But take nothing away from two world-class players. Steve Smith, we know, on the other hand, is a guy who also can bat back and score runs. So, yeah, they put a partnership on the board there, put us under pressure with a softer, older ball. And, yeah, so it's definitely an area that we need to focus on, is maybe deeper in the innings in terms of game plans. Yes, we've got the game plans, but are we executing those game plans with a softer ball from both ends," he added. Coming to the match, India won the toss and elected to bowl first. After a wicketless spell on Day 1 spanning around 13 overs, India bounced back on Day 2, dismissing Usman Khawaja (21 off 54 balls, with three fours), Nathan McSweeney (9), and Marnus Labuschagne (12), reducing Australia to 75 for 3. However, the 241-run stand between Smith (101 off 190 balls, with 10 fours) and Head (152 off 160 balls, with 18 fours) tilted the game in Australia's favour. Bumrah (5/72) eventually broke the partnership, triggering a flurry of wickets, but Australia ended the day in a strong position at 405 for 7, with Alex Carey (45*) and Mitchell Starc (7*) unbeaten at the crease. (ANI)
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