RANCHI: Still smarting from the bruising Test series defeat against South Africa, India bowling coach Morne Morkel said the squad has to quickly reset and refocus on white-ball cricket, as regaining momentum is imperative to counter a “dangerous, confident” Proteas unit.
India are coming into the three-match ODI series following an embarrassing 0-2 whitewash against South Africa, losing Tests in Kolkata and Guwahati.
Speaking ahead of the series opener here on Sunday, Morkel said the turnaround from Tests to white ball formats is mentally demanding but insisted the group was determined to do that shift.
“It was a disappointing two weeks for us. But we have had a couple of days to reflect. The important thing is to keep all our energy towards the white-ball team. We have been playing good white-ball cricket. A couple of fresh energy into the squad with Virat and Rohit coming back. Excited for the next couple of weeks playing white-ball cricket,” Morkel said.
Speaking to the press in Ranchi, two days before India’s ODI series opener against South Africa, Morkel said there is no substitute for the experience Kohli and Rohit bring to the one-day international set-up.
“Sure, they are quality players,” Morkel told the media when asked if he personally endorsed the idea of having Rohit and Virat for the 2027 World Cup.
India are building up to the 2027 ODI World Cup, and every time Rohit and Virat play an ODI series is a reminder that they are still fighting for their place in the squad.
India squad: KL Rahul (C), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel, Harshit Rana.
South Africa squad: Temba Bavuma, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Quinton de Kock, Matthew Breetzke, Rubin Hermann, Ryan Rickelton, Corbin Bosch, Prenelen Subrayen, Marco Jansen, Ottneil Bartmaan, Nandre Burger, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi.
India vs South Africa ODI series schedule
1. 1st ODI – Ranchi – Sunday, November 30
2. 2nd ODI – Raipur – Wednesday, December 3
3. 3rd ODI – Vishakhapatnam – Saturday, December 6
