Morkel: ‘For Varun, it’s just about getting that confidence, and trying not to overthink it’
India vs England is a World Cup semi-final between two aggressive teams at one of the best batting venues in the tournament. This isn’t ESPNcricinfo trying to talk this fixture up – it’s the view of India bowling coach Morne Morkel, who is preparing his troops for a potential shellacking if the Wankhede pitch turns out to be good for batting and England’s boundary-minded batters find their range.
“I feel that tomorrow is going to be a shootout between two aggressive teams,” Morkel said on the eve of the semi-final. “Playing against England, it’s a team that’s street-smart.”
England haven’t quite been in full flow with the bat so far this tournament, breaching 200 only once in three times they have batted first. They have also been bowled out for 166 by West Indies’ spinners on the very strip India will play them on Thursday.
And yet on their Sri Lankan sojourn in the Super Eight, Harry Brook struck one of the innings of the World Cup against Pakistan, and Will Jacks added to a rapidly growing list of World Cup exploits from No. 7. Morkel expected a serious challenge for India’s bowlers at the Wankhede.
“There’s a lot of quality in their side. They bat very long and deep, which makes them very dangerous. The way they approach a T20 game is fearless, and they try to take the game on. That will also give you opportunities. The side that reads the conditions quickest, I reckon, will come out on top.”
Among the bowlers India will hope will dent the England advance is Varun Chakravarthy, who had ripped through the first round, taking nine wickets, before running into a stiffer challenge in the Super Eight, where his 12 overs have cost 122 runs (economy 10.17), and brought three wickets. He remains a strike bowler, however, Morkel said.
“I keep telling Varun that with the skill and variation he has got, he has got the ability to take a wicket almost every ball,” he said. “If he goes for a boundary and the ball is not executed as well as possible, for him it’s just about moving on to the next one and committing to the next ball. He is a highly skilled guy who I hard to pick.”
Varun had worked closely with Morkel during India’s centre-wicket training on Wednesday, though Morkel later described it as merely a routine training session.
“For Varun, it’s just about getting that confidence with the ball and getting his speeds, his length, and his control right, and trying not to overthink it. To his credit, he wants to be a big-match performer for the team, so he puts a little bit of pressure on himself. But he is a match-winner for us.”
India should know the Wankhede pitch better than their opposition, but as this is now one of the game’s most well-known T20 venues, England will not be short of information about the track either. If England’s batters take after one of India’s primary bowlers, India may need the bowling of the likes of Shivam Dube to help make up the 20 overs.
Dube was not required for the virtual quarter-final against West Indies, but he had been hit for 46 runs in two overs by Zimbabwe.
“I don’t think it’s a lot of bowling form,” said Morkel of Dube. “Shivam is also a guy who knows the game pretty well. Our execution wasn’t as great [against Zimbabwe], and maybe the thinking behind bowling a certain ball could have been better. Shivam is always a guy who is potentially going to give us an over or two.
“The most important thing for Shivam is to make smart decisions with the ball. That’s one area we would like to improve with him sometimes. Let’s be honest – teams are going to go after him and he is going to be the guy who is put under pressure. But that also gives us opportunities. So if we can get that thinking process with the ball in hand a little better, it would be good.”
