“They are both young and are still learning their trade,” Morkel said. “Sometimes the challenge is that you have them for a small window of time and then they go away. Although we keep in touch and stay connected, it is hard to keep your personal touch as a bowling coach on them. Then they come back and we work on a couple of things. That is something we can try in the future to make better. I am excited to see how they go with this opportunity.”
Morkel, however, has spent little time with both seamers because the support staff and coaching management were split during concurrent tours. The Gautam Gambhir-led coaching staff, for example, was in the UK and did not go to Zimbabwe, where the squad was accompanied by VVS Laxman instead.
“If you look at Mayank, immediately what comes to mind is his pace, his X-factor,” Morkel told reporters in Lucknow. “For a young player to get through that and then again find himself in a situation to play for India just shows attitude. For me, Prince was a net bowler [in the IPL] a couple of years ago and is now playing for India. At the end of the day, you want guys in a squad or playing for India who have fantastic attitudes, who are keen to keep working hard, because those guys will deliver for the team.”
India’s search for more bowling options – including for four-over spells – extends to Shivam Dube and Nitish Kumar Reddy. On grounds like Lucknow, known for wide boundaries and the game being played on the centre pitch on Tuesday, Morkel said part-time seamers enter the conversation more.
“We are going to keep asking those guys to work hard at training and nets,” he said. “You never know, in certain conditions, the ball might grip a little bit more and it might suit one guy, and then they will become four-over bowlers. It is about always keeping these guys ready, and, from there, reading the conditions, reading what the wicket is doing, and boundary sizes. We have got a luxury here that it is quite a big field, so these guys come into the conversation a lot more.”
Expect openers to be rotated – Morkel
“I am pretty sure Gautam will look to rotate them,” Morkel said. “The guys just came back from the Asian Games, so we want to see how everybody is feeling after jet lag, after travelling, and then from there make the plan.”
Morkel said that even if Sooryavanshi doesn’t play, there is value in being part of the squad since he can watch experienced players prepare.
“If he is not getting that game time, he is still on a bus, in the dugout, in the hotel with guys with a lot of experience,” Morkel said. “I think, with him, sharing that dressing room and talking to guys, just actually watching how the guys go through their processes and how they set up will be key.
“So I always challenge him. I say, ‘watch what this guy is doing in training. How does he face his first 15 balls when the wicket is tough? What sort of game plan has he come up with?’
“For any young player, if he gets game time or if that game time is a little bit limited, it is still our job to make sure that these guys learn, they grow and they ask questions.”
I always ask him on the bus, ‘What is the one thing you have learned today? Tell me what you think about that guy’s batting’. That makes him think, and I think next time he comes to the nets, the sort of things he will observe, he will adapt to his game.”
Sooryavanshi – along with Mayank, Prince, Naman Dhir and Reddy – were the only five players who practiced during India’s optional training session on Monday. India have never lost a T20I at the Ekana Stadium and are aiming to make it five wins in a row at the venue.
Sreshth Shah is a sub-editor at Cricinfo. @sreshthx