Are Players Facing Mental Fatigue? India's Coach Flags Busy Cricket Calendar, Says, 'These Guys Are Also Human'

India's fast bowling coach, Morne Morkel, on Friday flagged the 'mental fatigue' faced by Indian players amid a busy cricket schedule.

He also praised the Indian bowlers for continuing to deliver despite all the pressure they are facing.

India have had a busy schedule over the last few months, with players participating in continuous series. India faced Afghanistan last month, before flying to Japan for the Asian Games, then coming back to India for the West Indies series.

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“I read everything that's written on social media. One thing that we sometimes forget is that mental fatigue plays a big part. We have to manage that and you have to be smart with it. If you look at this T20 side, some of the players went for the Asian Games, and then went straight into a full series now (vs the West Indies),” Morkel said on the eve of the fifth T20I in Bengaluru.

Morkel highlighted that players who won an Asian Games medal had to fly back to Delhi to meet PM Modi for a presentation before taking on the West Indies in the decider.

“Then they had to fly off to Delhi for a presentation there (meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi) and back here in the morning. And now, we have to get them ready for a game. So, that is the reality and these guys are also human,” he added.

Managing Recovery

Morkel stressed that players need time to recover to perform their skills at maximum capacity during a match.

The South Africa-based coach urged everyone to weigh their criticism of the team's bowling performances.

“And for me, your execution and your skills will be better when you've recovered well, when you've slept well, and once you've mentally refreshed, and that is a challenge. We're going to fly now to New Zealand. It's a jam-packed schedule there as well.”

“And that is sometimes a tricky thing. So, I've got a lot of respect for these guys, with the performances that they are at the moment producing for Team India, with the schedule we have."

“You know, and that's why I sometimes think we can allow them to make a mistake and allow them to have an off game and not be on them, because of the mental load and expectation on these players,” he added.