Unbeaten teams clash as Morkel backs India to stay calm
Ahmedabad: Initial eliminations done, the T20 carnival moves into the stiffer, Super Eight, stage in which top eight from 20 teams will slug it out for the four semifinal spots. India are clubbed with South Africa, West Indies and Zimbabwe in Group-1, which comprises the cream — every team here has topped their respective group in the opening stage of the tournament.
They are yet to lose a match, which makes this winners-all bunch interesting going into the next level. Defending champions India will play last edition’s runners-up South Africa here on Sunday, looking for a head start.
On Friday, bowling coach Morne Morkel was confident of his side doing well against his national team. “We have to be smart from Day One. There’s a lot going into that and we are prepared,” he told reporters before a team training session.
Talking about the rivals, the South African added: “We know their top order gives them momentum. It’s always their plan, but we have to bowl in the right areas. It’s important to stay awake and to keep on looking for ways to strike.”
He saw an exciting game coming up. “I think it’s going to be world-class players up against each other. We need to stay calm under pressure,” he added.
In the rival camp is Morne’s brother Albie, who is South Africa’s ‘consultant coach’ for this tournament. Prodded about the sibling rivalry, Morne only said he saw Albie briefly at the Stadium on Friday when the two teams arrived for practice sessions.
The conversation invariably veered towards opener Abhishek Sharma and his three ducks in the tournament. Morne was unperturbed. “There has been absolutely no discussion around him,” he said, adding “He’s a world class player. It’s just a matter of getting that start, and he will get going. So far in the tournament, luckily, some guys have been standing up to Abhishek.”
One of them has been Shivam Dube, who is delivering not only with the bat but with the ball as well. “In the last two years, he’s become a completely different bowler. He’s got a lot of skill with the ball. For him, it was just a matter of getting that confidence and then polishing up. He has a very good understanding of the conditions and reads them very well,” Morkel lauded.
Morkel attributed India’s dip in totals during the Powerplay periods to playing on different surfaces in the series in the tune-up to the World Cup. Losing early wickets too have contributed to the slump.
Asked about India’s glitches in the outfield, he replied: “Catches have been dropped, I know but no catch is an easy one. The boys are putting the hard yards in.”
With the showpiece shifting towards the business end, they cannot afford further slips.
