India will officially begin preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup with a three-match home series against Afghanistan, slated to begin to June 13 in Dharamsala.
With pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah rested and Harshit Rana still recovering from injury, the Afghanistan series offers a perfect opportunity to the Indian team to test its fast-bowling reserves.
On the eve of the first ODI, India bowling coach Morne Morkel emphasized the need to expand the pace pool, paving the way for youngsters like Prince Yadav and Gurnoor Brar to step up.
"That's definitely part of our thinking and our vision - to give ourselves options for that World Cup in South Africa. It's good for Indian cricket that we give guys opportunities under pressure against good opposition and see what they can do," Morkel said in the pre-match presser.
"Luckily we've got two guys now in Prince and Gurnoor in our squad. I'm pretty sure Gautam (Gambhir) will give those guys opportunities and see how they go in the Indian shirt. It's different playing international cricket with that Indian badge," he added.
Morkel was impressed with both Prince and Gurnoor, who recently trained with ODI squad in New Chandigarh.
"My first impressions, it is sort of almost like I felt they'd been part of the squad for five years. I saw no nervousness in their faces, although I can imagine coming into this squad they would be pretty nervous.
"I think the way they've gone about training, the energy they trained with, was very nice and good to see. In terms of their skills, I can also see that they've done a lot of work on that. They were on the money, accurate," the bowling coach remarked.
While the immediate focus is on Afghanistan, Morne Morkel said the ultimate goal is to ensure the squad reaches its maximum performance level exactly when the 50-over World Cup begins next year.
"For me, it is just taking the learnings from South Africa, taking the learnings from New Zealand and looking for improvement in our white-ball game, especially in our 50-over game," Morkel stated.
"That's the goal now - looking for small improvements and making sure when we come to the World Cup next year, we're peaking at the right time,” he concluded.
(With TOI Inputs)
