Bowling Coach Stresses On Fielding
What does he make of the pitch? “To be honest we’re not quite sure how the wicket is going to play. We just need to be smart in our skills, reading the conditions and adapting to it”: Morkel
MUMBAI: The team having made their way into the semis with their backs to the wall, Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel is not taking things lightly ahead of the semi-final against England at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday night.
“I think the quality of this (Indian) team has shown that, on the day somebody can put their hand up and put up a performance. Tomorrow night, we can put that special performance in on a big occasion and in a great stadium. Hopefully, the boys can rock up tomorrow and just be calm and execute those skills,” he said at the pre-match presser on Wednesday.
What does he make of the pitch? “To be honest we’re not quite sure how the wicket is going to play. We just need to be smart in our skills, reading the conditions and adapting to it,” Morkel said.
Morkel termed England a ‘street smart side.’
“They bat quite long, deep and have wicket-taking options as well. I think the way they approach a T20 game, fearless, trying to take the game on, makes them a dangerous side. So, I feel tomorrow will be a good shootout between two aggressive teams. And the side that can hold their nerves and read and play the conditions well will come out on top,” he explained.
Morkel felt India needed to tighten their fielding. “I think at times we’re guilty of giving away maybe 15-20 runs in the field. That’s one aspect that we keep working hard on and ask the guys to really step up,” he admitted.
Talking about the challenges of playing at the Wankhede, Morkel said: “I think the dew is always a big concern, but you can’t control the toss. Then there’s always that extra bit of bounce and the ball travels — it’s quite a small ground. I just feel the margins here are a lot smaller, so you just need to stay in the moment and compete. A batter’s strength can also be his weakness on the surface.”
The bowling coach backed mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy despite his not-so-impressive figures of late. “With his skill and variation, Varun’s got the ability to take a wicket almost every ball.0
I think he’s hard to pick, so for him it’s just about getting that confidence with the ball, getting his speed, length, control right and not trying to overthink. To his credit, he wants to be a big performer for the team, so he’ll put a little bit of pressure on himself. But, yeah, he’s a match winner for us,” he said.