IND vs NZ: Morne Morkel Backs Sanju Samson To Snap Out Of Slump, Eye T20 World Cup Revival, 'One Knock Away'

India vs New Zealand T20I Series: India's bowling coach Morne Morkel has thrown his weight behind struggling Sanju Samson to come out of his current lean patch, stating that the wicketkeeper-batter is training well and just one good innings away from regaining his form, ahead of the T20 World Cup.

Samson's struggles in the T20I series against New Zealand have been stark, with just 16 runs from three games, including a golden duck in the third T20I.

The race for the playing XI will be tough as his top-order teammates, such as Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Suryakumar Yadav have exploited the New Zealand bowlers.

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"Sanju is one knock away from getting that confidence, getting that form back. For us, building up to the World Cup it's important for the guys to find that peak performance at the right time. He's training well, he's hitting the ball very well," Morkel said on the eve of the fourth T20I here.

Morkel fittingly downplayed Samson's form slump, emphasising that the team's victory mattered more than the individual performances.

"So, I think it's just a matter of time for him to get his foot on the board. But the main focus is that the team is winning, and I think that's important. We're 3-0 up in this series at the moment, the boys are playing some very good cricket," said India's bowling coach.

"We've got a couple of games now before the start of the World Cup, and I have no doubt that Sanju will find his form," added the South African.

Morkel also revealed that the rotation of bowlers in the T20I series against New Zealand was a conscious strategy to contain opposition teams from achieving an advantage ahead of the T20 World Cup.

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"We've got a handful of bowlers that can bowl in every situation. Part of the thinking for us, leading into the World Cup, was to look at different combinations. We don't want teams to have set plans against us," Morkel said.

"I think at the moment, we're doing that quite well. If teams start to plan against us, they don't know where we're going to fit and how we're going to play our cards. For us, it is important to give guys that opportunity in that role, to get comfortable in those roles," he added.