{"id":130884,"date":"2025-09-09T18:51:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T18:51:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/130884\/"},"modified":"2025-09-09T18:51:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T18:51:14","slug":"india-wont-take-any-team-lightly-says-bowling-coach-morne-morkel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/130884\/","title":{"rendered":"India won\u2019t take any team lightly, says bowling coach Morne Morkel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dubai: India bowling coach Morne Morkel has stressed that the team will not underestimate any opposition in the upcoming Men\u2019s T20 Asia Cup<\/a>, insisting that the focus will be on respecting rivals while sticking to their own strengths.<\/p>\n

India begin their Group A campaign against hosts UAE in Dubai on September 10, followed by high-profile clashes against Pakistan and Oman on September 14 and 19 in Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively.<\/p>\n

\u2018We respect every opponent\u2019<\/p>\n

Speaking at a press conference after India\u2019s training session at the ICC Academy on Monday, Morkel highlighted the importance of respecting every side in the tournament.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor sure, the UAE have come a long way with their cricket. They\u2019ve been playing a nice brand of cricket of late and we\u2019re excited for the challenge,\u201d said Morkel. \u201cWe won\u2019t be taking them lightly. We respect all opposition we play against, and that will be the same case here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adjusting to Dubai conditions<\/p>\n

Since landing in Dubai, India have been training in sweltering conditions. Morkel admitted the heat has been testing but added that the squad\u2019s preparation has been \u201cbrilliant\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been very hot and sweaty so far, but enjoyable. We\u2019ve got a very exciting white-ball group and have been playing some really good cricket. The build-up has been fantastic, and I\u2019m looking forward to the first game,\u201d said the former South Africa fast bowler, who also had a coaching stint with Pakistan.<\/p>\n

Training with match-day intensity<\/p>\n

India\u2019s T20I squad last played together in January when they defeated England 4-1 at home. Since then, the focus has been on sharpening skills and replicating match situations in training.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor us, it\u2019s about making sure that when we do the work now, we step it up and train at a certain intensity. Once you put the Indian shirt on, it\u2019s about being ready for the battle. I\u2019m confident the players will be ready to deliver once they cross the line,\u201d Morkel said.<\/p>\n

He also pointed out the unpredictability of T20 cricket. \u201cThis format brings teams closer. The key will be to quickly understand conditions and adapt to the surface. These guys have played a lot of T20 cricket and know their strengths. It\u2019s about how quickly they can adjust and execute.\u201d<\/p>\n

Role of all-rounders and part-timers<\/p>\n

India\u2019s team management has been keen on developing all-rounders and part-time bowlers to give captain Suryakumar Yadav more options. Morkel said this flexibility could prove crucial in the tournament.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it\u2019s important to see someone like Shivam Dube bowl four overs. I always push all-rounders to work on both skills. Sometimes players tend to focus on just one, but here we want to leave no stone unturned,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

Morkel added that part-timers could play a decisive role depending on conditions. \u201cOn the day, we may need someone to step up. It\u2019s about being professional and prepared so that when Surya calls on you, you\u2019re ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

Balancing attack and control<\/p>\n

Explaining the mindset required from bowlers in T20 cricket, Morkel said flexibility is key.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a bowler, you need to assess the situation \u2014 whether wickets are more important or squeezing dot balls. Having part-timers who can bowl a quick over gives the captain extra options and helps with combinations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, we\u2019ll have our frontline bowlers to attack. But developing others to contribute with the ball gives us greater depth. The more players who can take responsibility in this area, the stronger we\u2019ll be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Balaram<\/a><\/p>\n

Balaram brings more than two decades of experience in the media industry, combining sharp editorial judgment with a deep understanding of digital news dynamics. <\/p>\n

Since 2004, he has been a core member of the gulfnews.com digital team, playing a key role in shaping its identity. <\/p>\n

Passionate about current affairs, politics, cricket, entertainment, and viral content, Balaram thrives on stories that spark conversation. His strength lies in adapting to the fast-changing news landscape and curating compelling content that resonates with readers. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dubai: India bowling coach Morne Morkel has stressed that the team will not underestimate any opposition in the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":130885,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[564],"tags":[944,21425,64,63,740,5951,1209,85,21542],"class_list":["post-130884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cricket","tag-abu-dhabi","tag-asia-cup","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cricket","tag-dubai","tag-india","tag-sports","tag-uae"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=130884"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130884\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/130885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=130884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=130884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=130884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}