India bowling coach Morne Morkel admits he was nervous ahead of England tour
India bowling coach Morne Morkel said he was a little bit nervous going into the tour of England due to the lack of red-ball cricket the side has had in the past few months. India last played a Test match in January during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and the players have since been occupied with white-ball assignments, including the Champions Trophy and the IPL. advertisementThe England tour will be the start of the new World Test Championship cycle for India, having missed out on the 2023-25 final. Speaking to the BCCI's official website, Morkel said he is happy with the start so far to the training camp in England. The bowling coach is happy with the progress of the players and feels that confidence and team spirit is needed heading into the Test series. "All in all, happy with the start so far. I was a little bit nervous in terms of the lack of red ball we've played but seeing how the guys are moving around and training in the last three days is a pleasing sight. We have a fantastic group. There's some quality energy and that's what you need. You need to go into a Test series confident and have that team spirit," said Morkel. advertisement
Morkel feels that consistency will be crucial in England and is happy with the variety in the bowling lineup this time around for the tour. "I think consistency is crucial in England and there is consistency when we practice, there's consistency off the field, finding your process, what's going to work for you as an individual," said Morkel. "We've got a great variation, variety in our attack, guys with different skill sets so they can do that and still execute the basics well."India will be playing an intra-squad match, starting from Friday, June 13. Morkel feels the conditions so far have suited the bowlers more. The bowling coach said his key advice to the bowlers will be to show character when the wicket goes a bit flat. "In the two-day practice so far, the conditions suited the fast bowlers. It was testing for the batters which also in a way helps them to prepare for what's to come," said Morkel. "There's been a lot of good banter between bat and ball but I think it's only because the wickets are a lit bit spicy. As soon as the wickets go flat, the bowlers tend to back off."advertisement"I'm going to tell them not to only talk when the wickets are nipping around but when its flat, that's where we're going to need the character at all times."India will face England in the first Test at Headingley, starting from June 20. Tune InMust Watch
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