Morne Morkel Highlights Concern Ahead Of Asia Cup Final: ‘Don’t Think We’ve Played…’ | Cricket News

India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel believes that the team has yet to play a “complete game.” While he doesn’t mind winning an “ugly” game, he expects the batting unit to improve its performance under pressure in the Asia Cup final against Pakistan on Sunday.

Although Indian spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy have halted most batting units, including Pakistan, the batting, apart from Abhishek Sharma’s performances, hasn’t been inspiring in high-pressure situations.

“I don’t think we’ve played a complete game in this tournament so far. After every game, we discuss areas for improvement. When under pressure, we need to get sharper,” Morkel assessed ahead of Sunday’s final.

Morkel highlighted areas in batting that need enhancement.

“If we start with batting, can we rotate strike better in tough conditions? Can we protect partnerships more? It’s challenging for a new batter to start, but we need to maintain an aggressive mindset,” he said.

He also spoke about improving execution in bowling when under pressure.

“From a bowling standpoint, let’s focus on the first six or ten overs. How can we improve our lengths, accuracy, and thinking with the ball? In the middle phases, we might bring in an occasional yorker. The wicket is slightly slower, so off-pace deliveries are being lined up by batters,” he analysed.

Morkel believes the team has the skills to handle the pressure of the final.

“The boys have all the skills and have played a lot, but under pressure, we need clearer thinking. We can have all the plans, but we still need to execute better,” Morkel said, referring to India’s subpar bowling against Sri Lanka on Saturday.

Morkel thinks that Suryakumar Yadav’s team is improving and wouldn’t mind a few scratchy wins during this process.

“We are not a finished article, but we’ve won, sometimes in an ugly fashion, and we will take that. As a group, we always learn and aim to improve, taking it forward to Sunday,” the coach added.

With PTI Inputs