Morne Morkel, India’s bowling coach, has broke his silence on the value of all-rounders, emphasizing their ability to contribute with both bat and ball as the team prepares for the Asia Cup 2025. Morkel thinks that the balance that all-rounders provide to the team might be crucial in crucial games, especially when India plays the UAE in their tournament opener in Dubai on September 10.
The Men in Blue, who participated in the ICC Champions Trophy earlier this year in Dubai, are among the top contenders going into the Asia Cup. Conditions are anticipated to be different this time, with team combinations perhaps being influenced by fresher, greener surfaces. India may use a more balanced strategy in this competition, according to Morkel, even if spin was crucial at the Champions Trophy. All-rounders like Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, and Hardik Pandya are expected to make an even bigger role.
“For me, it’s always important to see Shivam [Shivam Dube] like a guy that can bowl four overs. I’m always pushing for all-rounders or their guys to work hard on both skills. Sometimes guys can get a little bit naughty in practice or focus just on one. Here in this environment, we want to leave no stone unturned. On the day, we’re going to need somebody to do the work for us,” Morkel told the media.
Asia Cup 2025: Morne Morkel urges India to trust part-time options for balance
The former South African pacer emphasized the importance of developing part-time bowlers within the group. He asserts that the team has greater combinatorial options when batters are able to chip in with the ball.
“Yes, we’ll have our front-line guys who can attack. But if we can keep on developing guys, part-time guys to do a job, it gives us so many more options in terms of combinations for selection and stuff like that. So that’s important that once guys have those sort of skills, to keep on working on that daily and improve and get better.”
Morne Morkel
The bowling coach went on to discuss India’s recent lack of T20 match time but said he was confident the team would be ready for the task.
“I think that it’s a good point. For us, it’s just making sure when we do the work in our training, we step it up, make sure we train at a certain intensity. Once you put the Indian shirt on, from there, it’s about getting ready for match battle. I’m pretty sure once they step over the line, these guys will be ready to go and play and put on a solid performance for the team.”
Morne Morkel
The UAE, Pakistan, and Oman are on India’s group stage schedule; the games will be held in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. In order to determine the finalists, the top two teams from each group will move on to the Super Four round.
