Team India bowling coach Morne Morkel has emphasized the importance of having senior players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the India squad to help youngsters. His words came ahead of the first ODI of the three-match series against the West Indies, which will be played on September 27 in Thiruvananthapuram.
The presence of Shubman Gill as the new captain means that India are deliberately tapping into the experience of both Kohli and Rohit to aid the development of younger players. According to Morkel, the experience provided by these players goes beyond just performing on the pitch.
“It’s always great to have that experience back in the team. Just to guide Shubman as well, I must say Shubman has done an exceptional job so far leading the team. But I’m always a big believer in your senior players and how they shape the team. I think different players in the team will feel more comfortable speaking to a certain senior individual, and we’re quite fortunate that we’ve got a lot of experience in that,” Morkel said at the press conference in a video shared by BCCI.
Morkel also added that the team management is actively trying to create situations where youngsters engage with Kohli and Rohit and learn from their wealth of experience.
“We’re quite fortunate that we’ve got that experience with the senior players, and for us it’s just to keep on challenging the guys to have the conversation with the senior guys. We always throw out as many questions as possible in team meetings for the senior guys to speak and to share their experience,” Morkel added.
“But the challenge is to sometimes ask a younger guy while they’re batting in the nets, pick Virat’s brain, and speak to Rohit about what is important with a new ball up front. The more opportunities we can create for conversation with these guys, it’s all great for us,” the bowling coach said.
After Trivandrum, the ODI series will move to Guwahati for the second game on September 30, and the third and final game will be played in New Chandigarh on October 3. India and the West Indies will then play five T20Is as well, from October 6 to 17.
