"He's very young, and he's still learning how to bowl"- England's spin bowling coach on Dom Bess
England's spin bowling coach Jeetan Patel has said that the visitors will need to be patient with Dom Bess, as he is still young and learning the art of Test match bowling.
The off-spinner, playing his second game of the series, had a forgettable outing. Dom Bess went wicketless on Day 2 of the fourth Test, conceding runs at an economy rate of 3.73, the highest by any English bowler on the day. The seamers did the bulk of the damage for the visitors on the second day, with James Anderson and Ben Stokes picking five wickets among themselves.
Speaking after the day's play, England's newly appointed spin bowling coach Jeetan Patel talked about how Dom Bess could have been a different bowler had a close DRS call of Rishabh Pant gone in his favour.
"If he had got that lbw just before tea, he would have been a different Dominic Bess. There's still room for him to improve, like everyone in this group, He's very young, and he's still learning how to bowl with a red ball at Test level, which is very difficult. He will be better with these experiences going forward." Patel said in a virtual press conference after the day's play.
On whether the bowler lost his confidence after being dropped for the second and third Tests, Patel replied in the negative saying, the bowler needed that break.
"No, I wouldn't say that (on whether he lost his confidence after being dropped). Think he needed the break; I think he was tired after the first Test. He was jaded. He would have liked to play in the third Test, but we went in with an extra seaming option given the pink ball."
Jeetan Patel talks about where Dom Bess could improve
Speaking about where the 23-year-old could improve, Jeetan Patel said that they are not looking to cloud Dom Bess' mind by giving him too much technical advice at the moment.
The former New Zealand bowler added that they are currently looking to improve the tactical side of his game and his approach to bowling in Test matches.
"We would like to get into the technical side; but at the moment, it's about the tactical side, on how we will play the game. Can't get into the technical side much right now, as we don't want to cloud him either."
Nevertheless, Jeetan Patel will hope for Dom Bess to do a much better job on Day 3 and help England keep the first-innings deficit under manageable proportions.
"He would have liked to bow a lot better today, liked to have given a lot more to the group. It didn't work out for him. They played him very well today. Right now, he will be down and tired about it, but the beauty of this game is that you get another opportunity tomorrow."
At stumps on Day 2, India opened up a lead of 89, with the pair of Axar Patel (11*) & Washington Sundar (60*) looking good to score a few more.
England, though, will be keen to take the last three wickets quickly and get back into the game.