NEW DELHI: Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel heaped praise on bowlers for their commanding performance that saw India register a massive nine-wicket victory in the Asia Cup match against UAE.

"Yeah, a very solid start by the boys with the ball tonight. We haven't played a lot of white-ball cricket for a while, so I thought that leading into the game, our preparation was very focused. I think that is one thing that we did exceptionally well," Morkel told the BCCI after the match.

Kuldeep Yadav starred with the ball, taking 4 for 7, while Shivam Dube chipped in with 3 for 4 as UAE collapsed to just 57 in 13.1 overs.

Morkel revealed that in his talks with the players, the emphasis was on playing with intent and sending a strong, clear message before the match.

"I think that was our conversation going into the game, was to find our feet, put a lot of energy, bring a bit of body language, when we have the ball in our hands, and yeah, we nailed the first half," he added.

India hardly broke a sweat while chasing the 58-run target, wrapping up the game in just 4.3 overs and began their Asia Cup campaign on a dominant note.

Up next, India will take on arch-rivals Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday, a clash already billed as the marquee encounter of the group stage.