Morkel not worried about Hardik and Abhishek fitness despite both not taking to the field for majority of the 2nd innings.
Morkel downplays Hardik, Abhishek fitness concerns.
India’s bowling coach, Morne Morkel, has allayed worries over Abhishek Sharma and Hardik Pandya’s fitness ahead of Sunday’s Asia Cup final against Pakistan in Dubai.
After dismissing Kusal Mendis for a first-ball duck in the opening over of Sri Lanka’s innings on Friday, Hardik hobbled off the pitch due to a strained left hamstring. For the rest of the innings, Hardik did not come back to the pitch.
“Hardik had cramps, he will be assessed tonight and tomorrow morning, we’ll then take a call on that,” Morkel said at the post-match press conference.
Abhishek, however, was off the pitch for the whole second half of Sri Lanka’s innings. In the ninth over, Abhishek gripped onto his right thigh while jogging, indicating that he was uncomfortable. Since he hadn’t left the pitch when Varun Chakravarthy started to run in to bowl, he finally exited in the tenth over, just before a Pathum Nissanka six was declared dead ball.
Similar to Hardik, Abhishek was cooled and given pickle juice to help with his cramps for the remainder of the innings. At various stages, Jitesh Sharma, Shivam Dube, and Rinku Singh entered the game as substitute fielders. Even Tilak Varma was briefly absent from the pitch at one point, but he quickly returned following a break to rehydrate.
“The key for the boys is to rest,” he said. “They’re in an ice bath already. The recovery started straight after the match. The best way to recover is sleep and stay off your feet. Hopefully they can get a good night’s sleep.
“There will be individual pool sessions for the guys organised. Then some massages before they get mentally ready for the big battle on Sunday. It’s a quick turnaround, and playing smart is going to be the key. There will certainly be no training.”