India Coach’s “No Concerns” Verdict On Rohit Sharma Ahead Of Lord’s ODI Finale vs England

India bowling coach Morne Morkel on Saturday downplayed Rohit Sharma’s struggles, underlining the “calmness” the experienced batter brings to the batting line-up, and said he will find his feet soon in English conditions. Rohit’s scores of 11 and 26 in the first two ODIs have accentuated the talk around his future ahead of the third and final match against England at Lord’s on Sunday.

“It’s is hard work with a new ball up front. We have seen that in the entire series. The ball is moving around. So batting up front, it is not easy. No doubt Rohit will work it out,” Morkel said in the pre-match press conference.

“He has done it in the past. He is experienced and he just brings that calmness to the batting line-up. So, without a doubt, no worries and concerns at all with the way he is going about things,” he added.

Going into the series decider, India have other concerns too in the batting department.

The middle-order could not exploit the launch pad given by Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer in the second ODI, getting restricted to a below par 233 as England won the match by four wickets.

Morkel said Indian batters should get used to the pace of the Lord’s pitch before unleashing their shots.

“I think for them it is just to sum up the conditions, we have seen of late that it can be a tricky surface here at Lord’s. So, maybe, to give yourself that extra 5-10 balls just to get used to the pace of the surface, is going to be important.

“But, if you look at our top-order, top middle-order, they have played a lot of cricket. They are very well aware of the conditions and how to form partnerships and that is going to be the key.

“As a team we always look to push that 10 per cent and look for ways to get better and we know in the 50-over game, it is about partnerships and if we can form that with bat and ball, it will be an exciting game for us,” he detailed.

The former South African pacer also exhorted the Indian quicks to work out ways to get breakthroughs in the middle-overs.

“To be honest, the way we bowled in the last game was exceptional. Just looking at the numbers, the high speeds that the boys are generating, the areas that we have bowled in were great to see.

“We have gone with the thinking that we wanted to use Prasidh and Gurnoor Brar with that extra bounce in that middle phase.” Morkel reminded the importance of wickets in the middle passage.

“But it is crucial to get those wickets in the middle phase. So, we will keep on working on ways and trying to find how we can make those breakthroughs. I thought Joe (Root) played exceptionally well, classy innings (99 not out) there,” he said.

However, Morkel said he does not want to cloud the thinking of bowlers with excessive tips.

“It is a bit of a tricky one because one thing is you can share about past experiences about the (Lord’s) slope. You can give a lot of ideas. But also you need to be mindful that it is a day out before a game. You don’t want to add too many things for the bowlers to think about,” he added.

There has been some chatter around Morkel wanting to quit after the ongoing ODI series against England, but he sounded keen to help India bowlers in the 2027 50-over World Cup to be held in his home country.

“Living in South Africa and playing 20 years of cricket in SA… my experience counts for something. There are definitely conversations about the World Cup and planning that potentially we can take forward, once we reach there or getting closer to the World Cup time.

“But for sure, I have learned my trade in South Africa. I understand the surfaces. I understand that the wickets can play differently in certain times of the year. Yeah, definitely I will put that forward to the team and to the table,” he noted.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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