‘Intensity And Professionalism…’: Morne Morkel Praises Virat Kohli For His Influence – News18

Last Updated:November 20, 2024, 21:30 IST

Morne Morkel praised Virat Kohli for his impact on the Indian team with his ‘intensity and professionalism’.

India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel lauded Virat Kohli’s impact on the team ahead of the five-match Test series between India and Austrlia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

“The intensity and professionalism he brings is top-notch, always putting himself under pressure in nets,” Morkel said praising Kohli’s work ethic, at the pre-match press conference on Wednesday.

“For youngsters to witness that, it’ll take their game to a different level,” Morkel added.

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Morkel though admitted India are under pressure coming into this series but at the same time pointed at the opportunities that are on offer.

“A lot of people would see how we go about our business here. But our key message is that it is important for us to put that aside. For any cricketer, when you come to Australia, you want to do well. This is where you make a name for yourself — on one of the biggest stages in the world to play cricket.

“To come up here and play good, solid cricket, score 500-600 runs in a series (or) take wickets (and) that puts yourself on a stage. It’s a fantastic carrot to dangle in front of Indian players,” he added.

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Morkel said Indian batters will have to find their way of scoring runs but in current times a lot of information and statistics make it harder for players.

“Partnerships are going to be crucial, protecting the partnership, getting through the new ball. Once the ball is softer, not to give it away, soft wicket. When we talk about those sort of blueprints, that is what we identify as areas that we can post a score on the board.

“As a batting unit, there’s been a lot of conversation on how they’re going to go about finding a blueprint to put runs on the board.”

Morkel said fighting it out during tough passages of play will also be crucial.

“When I was playing back in the day, I found that if you can fight through tough periods and not give it away softly, at the end of the day, that is sort of the way you want to play your brand of cricket,” he said.

(With inputs from Agencies)