India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel recently broke his silence on the importance of all-rounders and stressed their ability to contribute with both bat
and ball as the team prepares for the Asia Cup 2025. With India set to face the UAE in their tournament opener on September 10 in Dubai, Morkel believes that the balance all-rounders bring to the team could be important in big matches.
The Men in Blue enter the Asia Cup as one of the strong contenders, having last played a multi-nation event in Dubai during the ICC Champions Trophy earlier this year. This time, conditions are expected to be different, with fresher, greener pitches likely to influence team combinations. While spin played a major role during the Champions Trophy, Morkel mentioned that India may opt for a more balanced approach in this tournament. The contribution of all-rounders like Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, and Axar Patel is set to be even more significant.
"For me, it's always important to see Shivam [Shivam Dube] like a guy that can bowl four overs. I'm always pushing for all-rounders or their guys to work hard on both skills. Sometimes guys can get a little bit naughty in practice or focus just on one. Here in this environment, we want to leave no stone unturned. On the day, we're going to need somebody to do the work for us," Morkel told the media.
Part-time guys to do a job
The former South African pacer also mentioned the value of developing part-time bowlers within the squad. According to him, the ability of batters to chip in with the ball gives the team more flexibility in terms of combinations.
"Yes, we'll have our front-line guys who can attack. But if we can keep on developing guys, part-time guys to do a job, it gives us so many more options in terms of combinations for selection and stuff like that. So that's important that once guys have those sort of skills, to keep on working on that daily and improve and get better," he added.
The bowling coach further spoke about India’s limited match-time in the T20 format in recent months, but expressed confidence that the squad would be up for the challenge
"I think that it's a good point. For us, it's just making sure when we do the work in our training, we step it up, make sure we train at a certain intensity. Once you put the Indian shirt on, from there, it's about getting ready for match battle. I'm pretty sure once they step over the line, these guys will be ready to go and play and put on a solid performance for the team," he concluded.
India’s schedule in the group stage includes matches against the UAE, Pakistan, and Oman, with Dubai and Abu Dhabi hosting the fixtures. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Four stage, which will decide the finalists.
