‘No worries’: Morne Morkel backs Rohit Sharma despite scrutiny, urges India to fix mistakes | Cricket News
NEW DELHI: India bowling coach Morne Morkel throwing his weight behind Rohit Sharma amid growing scrutiny of the veteran opener’s form, insisting there is “no worries” and expressing confidence the former captain will soon find his rhythm again in English conditions.Speaking ahead of Sunday’s series-deciding third ODI against England at Lord’s, Morkel dismissed concerns over Rohit’s scores of 11 and 26 in the first two matches, saying the challenging conditions for the opening batsmen made life difficult throughout the series.
Morkel backed Rohit’s experience and composure
With speculation intensifying over Rohit’s ODI future ahead of the 2027 World Cup, Morkel highlighted the experience of the opener and the calming influence he brings to India’s batting unit.“Working with a new ball in front is difficult. We have seen that throughout the series. The ball moves around. So batting in front, it is not easy. Rohit will do it no doubt,” Morkel said.“He’s done it before. He’s experienced and he just brings that calmness to the batting line-up. So, no doubt, there’s no worries and no worries at all in the way he goes about things,” he added.His comments came after Rohit’s meager return in the opening two ODIs reignited the debate over whether India should start planning beyond the veteran opener with a year to go before the next 50-over World Cup.
The Batting unit was told that it would be easier to adapt at Lord’s
While defending Rohit, Morkel acknowledged that India’s batting as a whole needs improvement after failing to capitalize on a strong platform in the second ODI.Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer laid the foundation, but the middle order could not accelerate as India finished on a below-par 233, allowing England to level the series with a four-wicket win.Morkel advised the Indian batsmen to respect the conditions at Lord’s before looking to dominate.“I think for them it’s just the sum up of the conditions. We’ve seen of late that it can be a tough surface here at Lord’s. So maybe give yourself an extra five to 10 balls to get used to the pace on the surface,” he said.He added that India’s experienced top and middle order know how to build partnerships and emphasized that consistent stands with bat and ball will be key to the decision.
Middle-over wickets remain India’s biggest bowling concern
Despite praising the fast bowlers for their efforts in the last match, Morkel admitted that India still need to be more effective in breaking the partnership in the middle order.He said the pace attack had come up with good plans, especially with Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar using more bounce effectively, but acknowledged that England’s Joe Rootwho remained unbeaten on 99, showing the value of denying the opposition easy passages throughout the innings.“It’s important to get wickets in the middle overs. We will continue to work on ways to find the breakdowns,” Morkel said, while also warning against overloading the bowlers with technical advice before an important game.
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