Team India bowling coach Morne Morkel applauded young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy as someone who is also looking to create opportunities as well. While stating that the youngster has got plenty of talent, he said that the challenge for Reddy will be to achieve consistency in his game as well. With Hardik Pandya continuing to battle injuries, India are expected to depend on Reddy in the all-round department as well.

At a press conference ahead of the first ODI, Morkel said: “I think Nitish, if we just rewind to the T20s, the way he bowled in different situations has been very impressive. The message to him all the time is just to keep things simple and do the basics as well as possible. I think he’s a very talented guy when it comes to bat, ball, and field. He always wants to be the guy that creates opportunities. Having that mindset is fantastic.

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“We need to give him those opportunities to learn and grow. Luckily, we do have a bit of time now, and it will be great for Indian cricket if we can keep on developing him and for him to compete for that all-rounder spot. He’s got all the talent and all the ability to do that,” he further added.

However, the 2027 World Cup is just about a year away, and Morne Morkel wants the Indian bowlers to use the ODIs against the West Indies as their preparation as well.

“You can’t decide a month or a week before the tournament that we’re going to step things up. I think it starts now with this series against the West Indies. Like how to keep the bad ball away, the fields, and how we can put ourselves under pressure. I want them to ask for the balls and create opportunities and not be sort of protecting their own space. I think that will be a great goal for us, if we can develop guys wanting (to bowl) in tough situations,” Morne Morkel concluded.