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Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel is anticipating the wind factor to play a massive role in the third T20I between New Zealand and India at Wellington, pointing out that the wind in the city is a "different beast" and it would be important for players to get used to it and take it as a challenge.
After two thrilling T20Is at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, New Zealand will be playing India in the third T20I to keep the series alive, with the 2026 T20 WC finalists blanked 2-0 by the world champions in the five-match series so far. Speaking to the reporters ahead of the match, Morkel said about the wind factor, "I mean, yeah, this is a different, different beast, this wind. I was in the hotel this morning and the whole building was sort of shaking. So I think it is going to be a new sort of thing that we add to our books for the guys to get used to and accustomed to, with a quick turnaround." "For us again, it is looking forward to that challenge and taking it head-on and not really making excuses," he added. Morne said that the wind could impact a lot of things, and it is during only a short window of training, warm-ups, and practice that players can gain an understanding of how it is going to affect them. "And then when it comes to game time, you have to block that out and really just try and execute every delivery and make every ball count," he said. On the wind factor and the way things play out will also help Team India for the Test match they will later play at the venue, Morne said that Wellington as a venue had been spoken about way before the tour and the "seeds were planted." "I spoke to some of the boys who are back in India last night, and they asked sort of what the conditions are like, and I said make sure you get a very strong fan at home, and you walk into the fan because that is going to be your preparation. Like I said, you know, we when I toured here with South Africa, we had certain ways that we went about trying to get used to it. I do not think you can ever get used to it in a space of 2, 3, 4 days. So, as I said, this is the way you are going to frame the whole situation," he said. "You are either going to see it as a challenge or you are going to see it as a negative or it is going to let you down. And hopefully we can get those guys in a mental space where they look forward to that challenge, and at the end of the day, you need somebody to put their hand up and bowl into the wind because we cannot have four guys bowling off the wind," he signed off. (ANI)
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