Dubai, Sep 8 (IANS) India bowling coach Morne Morkel said the side will not be taking any opposition lightly in their upcoming Men’s T20 Asia Cup campaign, adding that they are aware of the importance of respecting them while keeping focus on their own strengths.
India will begin their Group A campaign against UAE in Dubai on September 10, and is followed by games against arch-rivals Pakistan and Oman on September 14 and 19 in Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively.
“For sure, they’ve come a long way with their cricket. They’ve played a nice brand of cricket of late and we’re excited for the challenge. We look forward to it and definitely won’t be taking them lightly. We respect all the opposition that we play against and that’s going to be the same matter against them as well.”
“We prepare as best as we can. We know what brand and style of cricket we want to play. It’s important that we focus on that and not worry too much on the opposition. Yes, we’ll analyse their strengths, we’ll look at their weaknesses, but it’s again what we can control. We can control our intensity, we can control our execution at the end of the day and I think that’s important to focus on,” said Morkel in a press conference on the sidelines of India’s practice session at the ICC Academy on Monday.
Reflecting on the preparations since landing in Dubai, Morkel, who had a brief stint as Pakistan’s bowling coach, said, “It’s been very hot and sweaty so far, but enjoyable. We’ve got a very exciting white ball group here, and have been playing some really good cricket. But I think so far our build-up has been brilliant. I’m looking forward to the first game.”
With India’s T20I team reuniting after the 4-1 T20I series win against England at home in January, Morkel stated the emphasis has been on raising the level of practice to mirror match-day scenarios.
“I think it’s a good point, but for us it’s just making sure when we do the work now, we step it up, and make sure we train at a certain intensity. Then once you put the Indian shirt on, from there it’s about getting ready for match battle. I’m pretty sure once they step over the line, these guys will be ready to go, play and put in a solid performance for the team.”
“I think T20 cricket brings a lot of teams closer together. Again, for us it’s going to be crucial to find a quick understanding about the conditions and how the wicket is going to play. We’re going to have a look at the surface tonight for the first time and from there it’s about adaption.”
“I think these guys have played a lot of T20 cricket now for us and they’ve all got different strengths. It’s just on the day now, how quickly can we sum up and adapt to the conditions and from there execute,” he said.
The Indian team management has been keen on encouraging all-rounders and part-timers to contribute with the ball and Morkel said it thereby broadens options for the captain Suryakumar Yadav. “For me, it’s always important to see Shivam (Dube)-like a guy that can bowl four overs. I’m always pushing for all-rounders or guys to work hard on both skills. Sometimes guys can get a little bit naughty and practice or focus just on one. Here in this environment, we want to leave no stone unturned.”
“On the day, we’re going to need somebody to do the work for us and the conditions might favour him more than somebody else. For us, it’s about being professional, taking that responsibility of putting quality work in there. On the day when you’re called upon by Surya to do the job, you’re ready to do that.”
“When it comes to roles for me in T20 cricket, first of all, you look at the scoreboard. As a bowler, you need to tell yourself what’s important now – taking wickets or squeezing a couple of dot balls and stuff like that. But like I said, the more guys that can, at the end of the day, give the captain options to squeeze a quick over in, that’s obviously a great position to have.”
“Yes, we will have our frontline guys that we can attack. But if we can keep on developing part-time guys, to do a job, it gives us so many more options in terms of combinations for selection and stuff like that. So that’s important – once guys have those sort of skills, to keep on working on that daily, improve and get better,” he concluded.
–IANS
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