Morne Morkel urges balance between continuity and exposure ahead of IND-WI first T20I
India's bowling coach Morne Morkel said the five-match T20 series against the West Indies will be a chance to develop a new pool of players, speaking at a press conference at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on October 5, 2026, ahead of the first T20I of the series. He called for a balance between providing exposure to newcomers and maintaining continuity in selection.
Morkel described the series as a useful platform to give more players experience in the Indian shirt and to broaden the talent pool. “Yes, it will be great for Indian cricket if we keep on growing that pool, keep on giving guys that experience and the taste of what it is to play in an Indian shirt,” said Morkel. He also stressed the team’s objective of winning while managing long-term development: “The main goal will always be to win games. This group of players has played some exceptional cricket in the last couple of years. The guys who got opportunities have done a brilliant job. So it is about looking at the bigger picture, but you also want to win games with them. You want to give the guys who have done well so far the chance to continue that,” he added.
Morkel outlined why being around the senior group matters for young players, using Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as an example of a youngster who benefits from that environment even if he does not make the XI. “If he’s not getting that game time, he’s still on a bus, in the dugout, in the hotel with guys who have a lot of experience. Vaibhav sharing that sort of dressing room and talking to guys, watching how they go through their processes and how they set up an innings will be key.
“I’m a big believer that if you put guys in the right environment, they can ask the right questions and observe. I always ask him on the bus, ‘What’s the one thing you’ve learned today? Tell me, what did you think about that guy’s batting?’ That makes him think. The next time he comes to the nets, he will observe those things and adapt,” said Morkel.
The report was published on October 05, 2026 at 07:26 pm IST and noted that Morkel spoke at the Ekana Cricket Stadium; the accompanying photo credit is Shashi Shekhar Kashyap. The comments were made ahead of the first T20I in the five-match series between India and the West Indies.
