New Delhi: India Bowling coach Morne Morkel he has thrown his weight behind Rohit Sharma Amid intense scrutiny of the former opener’s form, insisting that there is “nothing to worry about” is an expression of confidence that the former ambassador will find his song in English again.Speaking ahead of the third ODI qualifier against England at Lord’s on Sunday, Morkel dismissed concerns over Rohit’s tally of 11 and 26 in the first two matches, saying the opening batsmen’s struggles have made life difficult throughout the season.
Morkel credits Rohit’s experience and composure
With speculation mounting over Rohit’s ODI future ahead of the 2027 World Cup, Morkel highlighted the opener’s experience and the calming influence he brings to the Indian batting line-up.“It’s a tough job with the new ball in front. We’ve seen this throughout the series. The ball is moving around. So batting in front, it’s not easy. No doubt Rohit will fix it,” said Morkel.“He has done it in the past. He is very experienced and he just brings that calmness to the fighters. So, without a doubt, there is no worry and concern at all with the way he is doing things,” he added.His comments come after Rohit’s slow return to form as an opener in two ODIs has reignited the debate over India’s plans to move beyond the veteran opener just over a year before the 50th World Cup.
The batting team has been told to adapt quickly at Lord’s
Defending Rohit, Morkel admitted that India’s batting needed improvement after he failed to perform well on a strong platform in the second ODI.Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer they had laid the foundations, but the middle order could not rise as India finished with a below-par 233, allowing England to level the series with a four-wicket victory.Morkel advised India’s batsmen to respect the conditions at Lord’s before looking to dominate.“I think for them I’m just summarizing the situation. We’ve seen recently that it can be difficult here at Lord’s. So maybe give yourself another five or 10 balls to get used to the pace,” he said.He said that India’s elite and middle-class players know how to form alliances and stressed that consistent football-to-ball representation is the most important factor in selection.
The medium wickets are still India’s biggest concern
While he praised the pace bowlers for their efforts in the previous matches, Morkel admitted that India still need to improve in breaking the tie in the middle overs.He said that the pace batting did well, especially Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar used it very well, but admitted that the England team. Joe Rootwho remained unbeaten on 99, showed the importance of refusing to challenge easy passages throughout the process.“It’s important to get wickets in the middle order. We will continue to work hard to get those wins,” Morkel said, also warning against inundating the bowlers with technical advice before important matches.