We would always like to take the aggressive option: Morkel

In the ongoing white-ball series, West Indies has chased down 352 in an ODI and 250 in a T20I to set alarm bells ringing. But India bowling coach Morne Morkel defended his bowlers.

“It’s tough to operate in these conditions,” Morkel said on Friday, ahead of the T20I series decider here. “It’s tricky, especially when there’s a lot of dew around, and especially with the way the West Indies take the game on. In the past, you would say, ‘Ok, that will give opportunities to take wickets’. But mistimed shots still go for sixes. We can just make sure every ball is the best ball we bowl.”

In both the matches, West Indies skipper Shai Hope was the star, scoring unbeaten centuries. “It is a real test to bowl to him, but one that we really enjoy,” said Morkel.

“We would always like to take the aggressive option — how to get the batter out? If we can bring the stumps in play, try using the short ball to him, and play around with the lengths… What we have not been good at is that we have changed things too quickly at times. We have to see if it was about execution or a good shot. But you can have all the plans in modern cricket, and players still adapt quite quickly.”

The burly South African also pointed to the unforgiving schedule. “Mental fatigue also plays a big part. This T20 side came back from the Asian Games, and is straight into a full series now. It had to fly to Delhi for the presentation [from the Prime Minister] and then arrive at 1 a.m. here for this must-win game.

“We’re going to fly to New Zealand and there is going to be jet-lag before a jam-packed schedule. So I’ve got a lot of respect for the performances we are producing. That’s why I sometimes think we can allow them to make a mistake and not be at them always.”