India and West Indies will play the fifth and final T20I in Bengaluru on October 17.
Indian pace bowling coach Morne Morkel lauded the Men in Blue pacers and bowlers for delivering the goods despite the mental fatigue amidst the jam-packed schedule. This comes after the Indian bowlers’ performance in the ongoing West Indies T20I series.
Apart from restricting the West Indies to 171 in the first T20I, Indian bowlers failed to defend 249, then conceded 209 runs in a 223-run chase, and then gave away 247 runs in the fourth T20I in Hyderabad. This led to severe criticism of Indian bowlers by experts and on social media.
However, ahead of the fifth and final T20I in Bengaluru, Morne Morkel talked about giving leeway to the bowlers given the jam-packed schedule they have endured in a couple of months, playing multiple bilaterals and the Asian Games in Japan.
“I read everything that's written on social media. One thing that we sometimes forget is that mental fatigue plays a big part. We have to manage that, and you have to be smart with it. If you look at this T20 side, some of the players went for the Asian Games and then went straight into a full series now (vs. the West Indies).
Then they had to fly off to Delhi for a presentation there (meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi) and back here in the morning. And, now, we have to get them ready for a game. So, that is the reality, and these guys are also human,” Morkel said on the eve of the fifth T20I in Bengaluru.
Morkel stressed that players need enough time to recover between matches to perform at their best.
“And for me, your execution and your skills will be better when you've recovered well, when you've slept well, and once you've mentally refreshed, and that is a challenge. We're going to fly now to New Zealand. It's a jam-packed schedule there as well,” Morkel added.
The former South African pacer has urged the fans and experts to be measured in their assessment of the Indian bowling unit as they face another busy schedule in New Zealand and then back at home in India.
“And that is sometimes a tricky thing. So, I've got a lot of respect for these guys, with the performances that they are at the moment producing for Team India, with the schedule we have. You know, and that's why I sometimes think we can allow them to make a mistake and allow them to have an off game and not be on them because of the mental load and expectation on these players,” he added.
The five-match T20I series between India and the West Indies stands at 2-2, with the series finale at Bengaluru to be played on October 17, 2026.
(PTI inputs)