Morne Morkel backs Indian bowlers and batters ahead of T20 World Cup

Indian fast bowling coach Morne Morkel praised the team’s depth and X-factor ahead of the T20 World Cup. He called Jasprit Bumrah the best bowler in the world and expressed confidence that Sanju Samson will soon regain form

Visakhapatnam: Indian team fast bowling coach Morne Morkel said that everyone in the team has a certain X-factor and it is for the management to ensure good, clear communication about their roles and expectations.

Speaking to the media on the eve of the fourth T20 international at the ACA-VDCA Stadium here on Tuesday, Morkel said it was all about picking players best suited for the conditions and how well they can help the team win. “It is about how to win the game of cricket,” he said.

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“Jasprit Bumrah is the best bowler in the world, highly skilful, but at the end of the day everybody needs somebody to talk to, somebody to offload. The pressure he faces every time he steps on the field because of the expectations to bowl those magical spells,” the fast bowling coach said.

“It’s great to see the batters getting confident and building that confidence before the T20 World Cup. They’ve put in a lot of hard work, a lot of effort. They hit thousands of balls and to find a way that’s working and to give the team a great start is good for us. So in terms of giving those tactics away, I think it’s a smart deal,” Morkel said.

On Sanju Samson, Morkel said the opener is one knock away from regaining confidence and form. “We all know the cliché that form is temporary. For us, building up to the World Cup it’s important for the guys to find peak performance at the right time. He’s training well, hitting the ball very well, so I think it’s just a matter of time before he gets a score on the board,” he said.

“The main focus of the team is winning and that’s important. We’re 3-0 up in the series at the moment. The boys are playing very good cricket and we’ve got a couple of games before the World Cup. I’ve no doubt that Sanju will find his form,” Morkel said.

Morkel added that the Indian team has the luxury of a handful of bowlers who can deliver in different situations. “Part of the thinking for us leading into the World Cup was to look at different combinations so that teams don’t have set plans against us. At the moment we’re doing that quite well,” he said.