New Delhi: Indian cricket team's bowling mentor Morne Morkel has suggested a unique way for the Test specialists touring New Zealand to deal with the strong winds in Wellington. He asked the players to practice standing in front of a strong fan at home. Morkel has personally experienced these stormy winds while playing for South Africa.
Speaking superiority of the third T20I versus New Zealand in Wellington, Morkel said, "We have talked well-nigh Wellington, expressly surpassing the start of the tour. I spoke to the players late last night, and they asked what the conditions are like there. I said stand in front of a fan at home, the conditions will be the same in Wellington."
Winds wreak havoc in Wellington
Wellington's winds are so strong that they can transpiration direction at any moment. This makes both batting and bowling difficult for Team India . On Monday, wind speeds in the New Zealand wanted reached 120 km per hour, giving the visiting team a glimpse of the challenges ahead.
Morkel himself was surprised by the conditions. The former South African fast bowler said the wind was so strong that he could finger its gravity plane from inside his hotel. "This wind is a variegated animal. I was at the hotel this morning and the whole towers was shaking," he said. "So I think this is going to be a new thing we'll add to our repertoire, so the players can get used to it as quickly as possible."
Mental preparation is essential
At the Basin Reserve, a batsman may struggle to maintain wastefulness at the crease, while a bowler may find it difficult to find rhythm or tenancy the ball. Morkel knows from wits that a few days of practice won't solve this problem. He believes the key is to winnow the conditions and find a way to work with them. "When I toured here with South Africa, we had unrepealable ways of getting used to it," he explained. "I don't think you can get used to it in two, three, or four days," he said. "So it depends on how you squint at the whole situation: either you see it as a challenge, or you see it as a negative."
Difficult for bowlers too
There's moreover a practical problem for the Indian bowling attack. The wind keeps swirling virtually the field and waffly direction, and some bowlers may have to squatter the wind increasingly often than others. Morkel wants his players to be prepared to take on this responsibility, rather than leaving difficult spells to their teammates. "Hopefully, we can get those players in a state of mind where they squint forward to that challenge," he said. "Ultimately, you need someone to raise their hand and trencher versus the wind, considering we can't have four players bowling with the wind."
