India senior and India A teams will clash in a 4-day game before the England Tests begin.
India's bowling coach, Morne Morkel, thinks the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy pitches won't be as spicy and beneficial for bowlers as the ones he's been using for the visitors' training sessions thus far.
He was addressing the start of the intra-squad competition between the senior team and India "A." Before the five-game series starts in Leeds on June 20, this is the final practice match. The India and India A game will take place behind closed doors over the course of four days.
“The two-day practice so far, the conditions suited the fast bowlers. Early on in the tour it was very exciting; it gets their confidence going. It was testing for the batters, which also in a way helps them to prepare for what’s to come," Morkel said in an interview with the BCCI.
In order to ensure that the participants are completely focused on the game with minimal to no interruptions, Gautam Gambhir reportedly decided to keep the match out of the spotlight and off streaming.
Morkel remarked on the bowling conditions, “I don’t think the wickets are going to be as spicy as the ones we experienced here. There’s been a lot of good banter between bat and ball, but I think it’s only because the wickets are a little bit spicy. As soon as the wickets go flat, the bowlers tend to back off.
I’m going to tell them not to only talk when the wickets are nipping around, but when it’s flat, that’s where we’re going to need the character. Now it’s just slowly building towards that first test match. For me, the main thing, and I think it’s crucial in England, is consistency."
“That is consistency when we practice; it’s consistency off the field, finding your process, what’s going to work for you as an individual. We’ve got a great variety in our attack of guys with different skill sets. So, you know, can they do that and still execute the basics very well? All in all, I’m very happy with the start so far,” Morkel emphasized the importance of consistency.
With little experience playing red-ball cricket, Morkel said that he was a little anxious, but he was happy with the team's performance.
“I was a little bit nervous in terms of the lack of red ball we’ve played, but seeing how the guys are moving around and training the last three days, it’s a pleasing sight. I think we’ve got a fantastic group here at the moment, with some quality energy in this group. That’s what you need; you need to go into a test series confident, and you need to have that team spirit in the group, you know. I think so far they’ve done a great job," he concluded.
The first test of the India v. England test series begins on June 20 in Leeds.
(BCCI inputs)