Mohammed Siraj has risen to the occasion in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence while Akash Deep is reaping the benefits of attacking the stumps on a good length, India bowling coach Morne Morkel said here on Saturday.’ Both Akash Deep and Siraj have managed to get the new ball talk despite the flat nature of the surface. England pacers on the other hand have not got the same amount of help from the pitch. Till now, all 13 wickets have been picked by the duo.

Akash Deep replaced Bumrah in the side as the latter was rested, putting more responsibility of Siraj’s shoulders.

“Very happy so far (with the performance of pacers).

We had some good discussions after the last game. It is a pleasing sign (show in Bumrah’s absence). Akash Deep is an attacking bowler, asking questions on the stumps.

The England conditions suit him. He is running in at high pace and that is a good sign. The more confidence you give him the better he gets,” said Morkel after stumps on day four.

Set a near-impossible 608-run target, England will need another 536 runs to win the Test on the final day.

Siraj took a six wicket haul in the first innings and got rid of Zak Crawley in the final hour on day five.

The wickets were not coming his way of late but Morkel is happy that the hardworking pacer has got his due.

“Siraj he is a guy that I have lot of respect for. He pushes his body to the limit. He can try too hard at times and that can make you inconsistent. But he really puts his heart on his sleeve. He does the dirty job for the team and that doesn’t reflect in the wickets column at times,” said the former South Africa fast bowler.

Asked why India declared when they did and not sooner, he said: “We are not really worried.

If you score 500 plus you deserve to win. Wanted to get an hour of bowling today with day five round the corner “It is going to be an exciting day of cricket. England have got success playing that style of cricket. If they are happy to take it on (so be it).” Morkel also lauded captain Shubman Gill for his extraordinary run in the series thus far, having scored a double hundred and two hundreds in four innings.

“Very happy for Shubman. As captain on a big tour, coming to England, he has handled the expectations very well so far.” Not naïve enough to know that it’s a very challenging total: Trescothick ================================================== England don’t believe in draws in the Bazball era but day five at Edbaston presents a gargantuan challenge with 536 runs still needed for the win and seven wickets in hand.

Batting coach Marcus Trescothick acknowledged that his team would have to bat extraordinarily to pull off an improbable win.

“We are always trying to be as positive as we can. We all appreciate it’s a hell of a lot of runs to try and score, it’s 550 tomorrow. I don’t think we’ve seen scoring rates that quick in a day.

It will be challenging.

"We have another 10-15 overs of the hardest point, before the ball gets a little bit soft, and we will see how we are going from that point,” said Trescothick.

Are England thinking of a draw? “I don’t think we use that sort of language. That’s not the sort of changing room we are. But we are not naive enough to know that it’s a very challenging total. Do you go in your bunker and dig it out? Some players may do that.

“It’s for individuals to adapt their game. You have to understand that our changing room is a different type of culture to what we have done in the past.” Were England surprised at the timing of India’s declaration? “I expected it to be 550, the target they would set. It is what it is. You are sitting there trying to make a judgement call on when they make their call, and fair enough, they make their own decisions,” he added.

Asked if draw would be good result for his team, the batting coach added: “If you get to the point where you can draw the game, of course, we're not stupid enough to think that you have to just win or lose. There are three results possible in every game that you play.”