"He will be surrounded by some very good players who have achieved a lot" - Albie Morkel on Morne Morkel's appointment as Team India bowling coach
Former South Africa all-rounder Albie Morkel spoke about his younger brother Morne Morkel's recent appointment as Team India bowling coach. Morne will begin his stint from September 1 onwards after being roped in by the BCCI upon Gambhir's recommendation.
Morne Morkel has been part of three teams in his coaching career so far - Pakistan, Namibia, and the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). He worked with Gambhir during his stint with LSG when the former batter was the IPL team's mentor.
Morne is taking over from former bowling coach Paras Mhambrey at a crucial juncture in the bowling department. Managing the workload and transition while maintaining skill levels will be the biggest challenges the former South African pacer seems set to face.
"It goes without saying that being on the Indian team's coaching staff is probably the biggest responsibility or coaching job out there. The passion for the sport and the success that the team had in the past makes it a job with no room for error. He will be surrounded by some very good players who have achieved a lot, so I guess, for him, it's a matter of earning their trust and believe that he can help to reach their full potential day in and day out," Albie Morkel said in an interview with Mid-Day
Albie also elaborated on how his brother would look to work in the Team India setup.
"It's a fine line between being too technical and what's right. I think the game has changed so much over the last decade. Younger bowlers or bowlers who struggle with injuries probably need more technical work, and after that it's about fine tuning what you have. The mental aspect becomes very important then to sustain longevity," he added
Former bowling coach Paras Mhambrey had remarked in the past that there is not a great deal of coaching involved with such an accomplished set of bowlers. The majority of the time behind the scenes is devoted to the game plan and execution.
"He is very special and I’m sure Morne would love to work with him" - Albie Morkel on Jasprit Bumrah
Morne Morkel has worked with talented established and emerging pacers in his coaching career. He worked with the lethal pace trio of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah during his time with the Pakistan team. He also helped speedsters like Mark Wood and Mayank Yadav in his stint as LSG bowling coach.
How Morne proceeds to work with Jasprit Bumrah and the rest of the Indian bowling unit will be crucial in Team India's fortunes.
"Once again, I don’t know what his exact thoughts would be, but Jasprit is the best all-format bowler in the world. He is very special and I’m sure Morne would love to work with him," Albie stated in the same interview.
Morne Morkel's first assignment as Team India's bowling coach will be the home Test series against Bangladesh next month.