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Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) [India], January 27 (ANI): Indian men's cricket team bowling coach Morne Morkel has hailed Jasprit Bumrah as the world's best bowler, comparing the pace spearhead to a Ferrari.
Addressing the media on the eve of the fourth T20I against New Zealand at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam, Morkel said communication and comfort remain key in getting the best out of Bumrah, who continues to shoulder massive expectations every time he takes the field.
"Jasprit is the best bowler in the world, highly skilful, but at the end of the day everybody needs somebody to talk to, somebody to offload. The pressure he faces every time he steps onto the field, there's always a lot of expectation on him to go and perform and bowl that magical spell, win the game for us in the death. As a bowler or as a player, sometimes that burden that you carry can take its toll," he said.
"So for me, experiencing that when I was playing cricket and knowing a lot of the greats in the past that I played with, we all just need somebody to communicate and go through processes. For me, I always check in with Bumrah to make sure if he's comfortable, if he's agreeing with the plans we're going off. So it's for him just to get him in that good mental space because we know he's world-class and it's like a car, a Ferrari. If you can get the engine and the oil and all of that running well, the car will perform," he stressed.
India have already sealed the five-match T20I series 3-0 with two matches remaining, as the team continues preparations for the T20 World Cup next year, which India will co-host from February 7.
Morkel also spoke about the flexible use of Bumrah across different phases of the innings, depending on match situations and opposition.
"We'll decide on that on the team we face where we feel that we can make a greater impact. Obviously I'm a big believer of taking wickets in that first power play, sending a strong message to the team is always important.
"But again, he's so skilful up front, you can take your wickets in that middle phase. So I think it's also, at the end of the day, it's one thing us having a plan, but the bowler also needs to be comfortable with that. So it's a complete buy-in from the players, from the team, from the captain, how we can formulate those sort of things.
"But yeah, like I said earlier, it's about taking wickets. How can we get also the other key cards that we have for that to work in one direction and for us to bolt teams out on game day."
The former South Africa fast bowler also praised the form of India's top-order batters Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav, while refusing to divulge tactical details.
"Well, we don't want to reveal those secrets out today, but obviously the boys are batting well. It's great to see them getting confidence and building that confidence before the World Cup. They've put in a lot of hard work, a lot of effort in. They hit thousands of balls and to find a way that's working and to put the team off into a great start is good for us.
"So in terms of giving those tactics away, I don't think that's a smart deal to do for us."
India will look to extend their dominance in the series when they face New Zealand in the fourth T20I on Wednesday. (ANI)