‘Stand close to the powerful fan’: India coach’s unique advice to players ahead of Wellington Test

Morkel’s advice to players is: “Stand near a strong fan to withstand the fast wind” The wind at Wellington’s Basin Reserve can change direction without warning, making it a challenging venue for visiting teams. India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel offered a simple piece of advice to Test specialists yet to arrive in New Zealand: prepare for a strong wind before stepping onto the field.India will play a two-match Test series against New Zealand after the ongoing T20I and ODI series. The first test is due to start at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on November 18.Morkel’s advice to the players is: “Stand near a strong fan to counter the fast wind” that has plagued visiting teams on the field for years.“We talked about Wellington, especially before the tour started, and we planted those seeds. I spoke to some of the guys who were back in India last night and they were asking what the conditions were like. I said, ‘Make sure you have a very strong fan base at home. When you step into the fan, that’s going to be your preparation’,” Morkel said ahead of India’s third T20 International.The Indian team is currently in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand, which is also known as “Windy Wellington”. The wind speed reached 120 km/h on Monday.Although the third T20I against the Black Caps is scheduled for Tuesday, Morkel and head coach Gautam Gambhir are already looking ahead to the challenges the team could face in the Test series.“This wind is a different beast. I was in the hotel this morning and the whole building was kind of shaking. So I think that’s going to be something new to add to our books for the guys to get used to and get used to quickly,” Morkel said.He added that India would have to face unexcused conditions as the wind could affect several aspects of the game, including the batsman’s stance and wicket position.“For us, we’re looking forward to that challenge and we’re taking it head on and we’re not really making excuses. This wind can affect a lot of things, it can affect batting, your stance, your crease, it can affect a lot of factors,” Morkel said.The former South Africa fast bowler has experienced the conditions at Basin Reserve during his playing career. He said adapting to the wind in just a few days of training was difficult, so it was important the players approached the challenge with the right mindset.“When I was here on tour with South Africa, we had certain ways of trying to get used to it. I don’t think you ever get used to it in two, three or four days. So it depends on how you frame the whole situation: either you see it as a challenge or you see it as a negative and let it down.”“Hopefully we can get those guys in a mental space where they’re looking forward to the challenge. At the end of the day, you need someone to put their hand up and throw themselves in the wind because we can’t have four guys throwing themselves in the wind.”New Zealand all-rounder Michael Bracewell is also aware of the problems the conditions can create for visiting teams. He said the hosts will look to make the most of any discomfort their opponents experience.Bracewell pointed out that wind behaves differently in closed stadiums, where it can swirl and change direction, compared to more open venues like Basin Reserve.“It’s interesting. It’s a little swirly in closed stadiums, so it’s probably not as consistent as when you play in a little more open field like the Basin. We had one game here where the cameras went off at one end because it was so windy,” Bracewell said.But he also sees coping with different conditions as an important part of international cricket, where teams have to adapt to the challenges they face around the world.“So that’s the joy of playing here, you get to experience different conditions and that’s the great thing about international cricket. You go all over the world and you have to deal with different things.”“So it’s a bit of a whirlwind in the stadium, so it’s not necessarily like there’s going to be one end that maybe if we’re playing in an open stadium that you can focus on.”