India Coach Pulls Off WWE Move On Arshdeep Singh Ahead Of 2nd Test. Pacer Explains Reason
Pace bowling coach Morne Morkel pulled off a wrestling move on pacer Arshdeep Singh during Team India's practice session ahead of the second Test.
- Bowling coach Morne Morkel used a wrestling move to signal end of practice sessions.
- Pacer Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep performed a wrestling move on Morkel in return.
- Later, Arshdeep explained the reason behind the WWE moves during the practice session
As Team India prepare to play the second Test against England, a new ritual seems to have taken shape during their training sessions. In a light-hearted video shared by BCCI, bowling coach Morne Morkel was seen attempting a wrestling move on pacer Arshdeep Singh. Soon after, fellow pacer Akash Deep teamed up with Arshdeep to perform their own wrestling move on the former South African pacer. All smiles, Arshdeep explained exactly why Morkel had pulled off a wrestling stunt on him.
"Morne said that once practice is over, I'll do the 'pin out' move on you to signal the end of the session," Arshdeep said, in the video shared by BCCI.
The video showed Morkel rolling Arshdeep over and pinning him down, a move commonly seen in WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment).
"This is his new way of calling off the day. That is what he was showing us today," Arshdeep explained.
The video then showed Arshdeep and Akash Deep returning the favour to Morkel, taking down Morkel together.
Akash Deep and Arshdeep are both in contention to feature for Team India during the five-match Test series against England, with at least one of them all set to be in India's playing XI in the second Test at Edgbaston.
Team India are set to rest pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah in the second Test as part of his workload management. As a result, a spot has opened up in the pace attack for the second Test.
As per journalists present in England, Akash Deep had a full-fledged session just two days ahead of the match, hinting that he could be the one to take Bumrah's spot.
Akash Deep has played seven Test matches so far in his career, taking 15 wickets. His last appearance came in the Boxing Day Test against Australia in December 2024.
Arshdeep, on the other hand, is yet to make his Test debut. The 26-year-old is India's highest wicket-taker in T20I cricket, and has been included in India's Test scheme for the first time in this tour.
"He (Bumrah) is available for the game, obviously. We know from the start he's only going to play three out of the five. He's had eight days to recover from the last Test. But given conditions, workload, and how we think we can best manage for the next four games, we haven't made a call on that," said assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate in a press conference ahead of the second Test.
"We're going to see what the other guys are doing with their workload as well. So technically, yes, he's available. But we haven't made a decision on whether he's going to play or not yet," ten Doeschate said to reporters in the press conference on Monday.
With IANS inputs
Morne Morkel
Jasprit Bumrah
India Cricket Team