Morne Morkel Backs Ruturaj Gaikwad: Why SA ODIs Test India's Rising Pacers

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the first ODI of the three-match series, set to start from November 30, Morkel praised him as a long-standing quality player and expressed confidence that he would make the country proud if given the opportunity.

"It's great to have him here. He's been a quality player for a number of years, and if he gets this opportunity, I'm pretty sure he'll do the country very proud," the Indian coach said.

Meanwhile, Morkel also highlighted that the series is a valuable opportunity for bowlers like Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana to gain experience against a strong South African batting lineup. He emphasised it will test their skills under pressure, help them grow and provide the bowling unit with crucial experience, particularly in taking wickets during the middle overs of white-ball cricket.

"For Arshdeep and Harshit, all those guys, it's a great opportunity. We're always looking to give those guys as much game time for them to pick up experience, and they're going to play against a quality batting line-up," Morkel said.

Morkel said facing SA players like Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, and Aiden Markram will test the team's ability to handle pressure, seize opportunities and help the bowling unit gain valuable experience.

"I think Matthew Breetzke, Brevis, Aiden Markram, how those guys play their white ball cricket as an aggressive brand of cricket they are playing. So it's going to be a good test to see how they handle the pressure, how they play in the situations or the opportunities that they're going to be given and how they handle those opportunities in those situations and grow from there. I think it's good for us to give our bowling unit some experience," Morkel added.

"It's good for us to see how they can bowl in that middle phase, how we can take wickets because at the end of the day in white ball cricket you want to be taking wickets and have strike bowlers that can do that. So I'm excited for them to get a good run in this series, and we'll have to get them ready because it's going to be a tough one," the Team India bowling coach said further.

- ANI