Key points
- Recovery focused on rest, not training
- Substitutes rotated during injury absences
- Morkel urges no excuse culture
DUBAI: India’s bowling coach, Morne Morkel, has downplayed injury concerns over Hardik Pandya and Abhishek Sharma ahead of Sunday’s much-anticipated Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan in Dubai.
Hardik caused concern when he appeared to clutch his left hamstring and left the field after bowling only one over during Sri Lanka’s innings on Friday. He had made an early impact by dismissing Kusal Mendis for a first-ball duck, but did not return to the field.
“Hardik had cramps, he will be assessed tonight and tomorrow morning, we’ll then take a call on that,” Morkel said during the post-match press conference.
Abhishek Sharma also looked uncomfortable while sprinting in the ninth over, holding his right thigh. He left the field during the 10th over, just before a delivery was declared a dead ball as he had not exited before Varun Chakravarthy began his run-up.
Relieving cramps
Like Hardik, Abhishek was treated with ice and pickle juice to relieve the cramps and did not return to the field for the rest of the innings.
Substitutes Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, and Jitesh Sharma took turns fielding, while Tilak Varma briefly went off before returning following a hydration break.
With Friday’s clash against Sri Lanka going into a Super Over, India face a tight recovery window before the final. Morkel stressed the importance of rest over training.
“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.”
Individual pool sessions
He added there would be individual pool sessions and massages to prepare mentally for Sunday’s final.
Morkel also acknowledged the pressure on young bowlers Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, who were expensive, conceding a combined 100 runs in eight overs. However, Arshdeep held his nerve in the Super Over to seal India’s win.
“In our environment, we want to move away from an excuse culture,” Morkel said, backing the bowlers’ commitment and potential.
