Morkel tells India bowlers 'no more excuses' despite 2-0 T20I lead, backs Bhuvneshwar
Morkel demands improvement despite series advantage
India may hold a commanding 2-0 lead in the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand, but bowling coach Morne Morkel has made it clear the team's bowlers must lift their performance from here on in.
While Morkel defended his attack, he conceded that certain decisions could have been wiser and better executed. The visitors opened the series by chasing down 226 in the first T20I before sealing a win off the penultimate ball in the second, in a chase of 181.
"If you look at the par score with the previous venue [Christchurch], I think it's about 180-190, if I understand correctly," Morkel said. "I felt in game one, our execution in certain phases wasn't as good as I would have liked it to be. With that also, certain balls, decision-making, I think in terms of options, wasn't the right call."
Morkel credited the ground staff for a "very good wicket" and pointed to the learning curve posed by New Zealand's larger grounds.
"If both teams score over 200, it's a sign of a good wicket. Sometimes in a big venue, in a big field, you potentially can [take extra runs]. People always say, no, but the boundaries are big. But there are a lot more twos. If you look at New Zealand, they run very well between the wickets. Your space of what you can hit becomes bigger. So it is a big learning curve for all of us," he said.
Morkel acknowledged that management had been lenient in the opening games given the travel and scheduling demands, but said the grace period is over.
"As management staff, we can be slightly more lenient in that first couple of games with a travelling schedule, jet lag. One or two training sessions with the guys, we're going to be slightly off. But from now on, we sort of said there's no more excuses. We want our standards to go [up]. We slept enough. I think we sort of, in a way, found our feet a little bit. Hopefully from here, we can do those one percenters slightly better," Morkel said.
Wellington wind presents new test
The two teams now travel to Wellington for the third match of the series, scheduled for Tuesday, and Morkel warned that the windy conditions will present a fresh challenge that players must quickly adapt to.
"This is a different beast, this wind," Morkel admitted a day ahead of the contest. "I was in the hotel this morning and the whole building was sort of shaking. It's going to be a new sort of thing that we add to our books for the guys to get used to and accustomed with, with a quick turnaround."
He warned the wind could affect batting stance and many in-game factors, but urged players to block it out when it matters.
"This wind can impact a lot of things. It can impact batting, your stance, it can impact you at the crease, it can impact many factors. But like I said, you've got a short little window where [from] a warm-up and a training, you can now try and get an understanding, how it's going to affect you. When it comes to the game time, you have to block that out and really just try and execute every delivery and make every ball count," he said.
Morkel backs Bhuvneshwar after lean return
Morkel also came to the defence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has returned to international cricket with modest returns in conditions offering bowlers limited assistance. The veteran seamer has conceded 99 runs in just eight overs this series for a solitary wicket.
The coaching message to the seamer, Morkel revealed, has been simple: just be yourself.
"I've got a lot of sympathy for his return," Morkel said. "The reason why I say that is, there will be expectation after four years to come out. He's done exceptionally well in the IPL. He's bowled really well. One is to block the expectation factor out. Two, leading into his selection, there was a month of cricket where he trained. But this is a different beast coming and playing international cricket where the margins are small. So he had to come in with limited training because of the schedule to get himself ready."
Morkel stressed the skill and experience remain intact, and that Bhuvneshwar simply needs time to find his rhythm.
"So the skill and his experience, everything is there. But at the end of the day, you have to respect the game of cricket and you have to be able to allow him to just find his feet in some of the games. The message from the start when he joined the squad is - don't chase anything. Just be you. Yes, there will be expectations, but every game you'll get better and every game you'll find your rhythm. So let's not think about any outside noises. Just be you and connect with that," Morkel said.