With Washington Sundar ruled out of the series decider after missing India’s defence of 233 in Cardiff on Thursday, Morkel said all options remained open over who would replace the all-rounder in the playing XI.

“I think as I sit here, all options are on the table. We literally arrived here now half an hour ago. So I am pretty sure Gautam (Gambhir) will have a look at the surface, and they probably will announce 12 or 13 guys and then tomorrow make the final call in terms of overhead, in terms of what we see then. But yeah, I think at the moment all the players are still in line for selection for tomorrow,” he said.

The pace duo of Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar returned combined figures of 3 for 119 from 19.1 overs in the second ODI, and Morkel felt they executed their plans well despite England chasing down 234. He added that Joe Root’s innings made the difference.

“I thought, to be honest with you, the way we bowled in the last game was exceptional,” Morkel said.

“Just looking at the numbers, the high speeds that the boys are generating, the areas that we have bowled on in operating was great to see. We have gone with the thinking that we wanted to use Prasidh (Krishna) and Gurnoor (Brar) there with that extra bounce in that middle phase.”

“Crucial it is to get those wickets in the middle phase, like you just mentioned. So we will keep on working on ways and trying to find how we can make those breakthroughs. I thought Joe played exceptionally well, classy innings there. So, in terms of tomorrow, how are we going to go about it, we have got a couple of plans in place, and hopefully it will all work,” he added.

Rohit Sharma fell for a 47-ball 26 in the second ODI in Cardiff. (BCCI/Creimas Photo)

Having won the first ODI at Edgbaston, there was an opportunity for India to close the series at Sophia Gardens. Put in to bat, when they were 103/1 with Virat Kohli (65) in his full majestic form. Shreyas Iyer, batting at number five, complemented Kohli with a 71-ball 66.

The turning point was Kohli’s untimely and uncharacteristic dismissal – playing a loose shot across the line and top-edging the delivery – which prompted a mini collapse. The three left-handers to follow – Washington Sundar, Axar Patel and Shivam Dube – managed just 2, 1, & 0 respectively as India ended up with 233 in 44 overs, which proved to be well below par. And despite a spirited effort from the bowling unit, which had just five options with Washington missing out in the second innings with a hamstring injury, it left Shubman Gill to rely on other options to take the game deep.

Bumrah magic

If Edgbaston was the first glimpse of a revitalised Jasprit Bumrah, then Cardiff gave more evidence of a bowler who seems to have found his mojo back. The 32-year-old put England on the back foot straightaway by dismissing Ben Duckett off the first delivery of the chase – the new ball angling away and kissing the edge en route. And when Prasidh Krishna had Jacob Bethell edge to Ishan Kishan in the fourth over, India were right in the game.

Harry Brook once again showed his adventurous side to gain some momentum, but eventually paid the price for it. He lined up to play the scoop, but Gurnoor Brar’s pace and extra bounce meant he could only guide it to Ishan Kishan. Having made only 1 with the bat, he was effective behind the stumps, taking four catches, including that of Sam Curran while standing up to Dube.

Despite losing Washington’s services, Gill stayed on the offensive. India had no option but to claim all 10 England wickets, and they went searching for them aggressively. Yet, without the extra wicket-taking option, they remained slightly behind the eight ball.

That was the one glaring aspect of the bowling performance. Beyond Bumrah, India still lacks an X-factor bowler who will maintain the pressure on the opposition from the other end. Brar tested England with several short-pitch deliveries, but remained on the expensive side with 2/67 in 10 overs. Whether Kuldeep Yadav plays at Lord’s is to be seen.

Given the conditions on offer at Cardiff, the stage was tailor-made for Root. He took his time, and with India short on bowling options, he preferred to take the game deep. He may have wished one of the frontline batsmen to forge a big partnership, but even without significant support, he found the gaps and struck timely boundaries. Even when India tempted him to open his shoulders, he showed the discipline to bat according to the situation. A hundred was there for the taking, but Gus Atkinson didn’t hand him the opportunity, scoring the winning runs off Krishna.

Earlier, no Indian batsman except Kohli and Iyer could kick on and make the big score. Take out the two of them, who made 131 runs combined; the rest managed only 102 between them. After Gill timed one straight to Duckett at cover while driving on the up, Ishan was undone by a short delivery, top-edging a return catch to Sam Curran.

Brief scores: India 233 in 44 overs (Shreyas Iyer 66, Virat Kohli 65; Jofra Archer 3/47; Gus Atkinson 3/5) lost to England 235/6 in 44.1 overs (Joe Root 99 n.o, Will Jacks 30; Gurnoon Brar 2/67).