Morne Morkel appointed as Team India bowling coach; set to begin stint from September 1
Former South Africa pacer Morne Morkel has been appointed Team India's bowling coach and is set to take charge from September 1, ahead of the home season. The speedster was heavily linked with the position following Gautam Gambhir's appointment as head coach.
According to a report by Cricbuzz, the appointment has been finalized, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah confirming the same on Wednesday, August 14.
The BCCI were in the hunt for a new bowling coach following Paras Mhambrey's departure along with Rahul Dravid and Vikram Rathour. The trio left their respective roles within the coaching setup after their contracts came to an end following India's triumph at the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Once Gautam Gambhir was named as the new head coach, Morkel was one of the prominent names linked with the bowling coach role as they have worked before. The new head coach's demand of having either R Vinay Kumar or Lakshimapthy Balaji as the new head coach were all shot down, leading to Gambhir making a strong case for Morkel.
With the BCCI leaning towards Indian names when it comes to the coaching staff, a trend that began with Ravi Shastri's tenure, there were doubts as to whether the former Proteas ace would be roped in.
Furthermore, with Morkel completely settled in Australia, there were reservations about whether he would accept the role which includes extensive travel. However, all issues have apparently been resolved with Gambhir finally getting his desired support staff trio of Abhishek Nayar, Ryan ten Doeschate, and Morne Morkel.
While Nayar and ten Doeschate were part of the contingent that traveled to Sri Lanka for the white-ball series, Sairaj Bahutule served as the bowling coach.
Gautam Gambhir worked with Morne Morkel during his time at Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
Gambhir and Morkel served as mentor and bowling coach, respectively, in the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) backroom staff. The South African has also served as a bowling consultant for the Namibia national cricket and the Pakistan national cricket team.
Team India's home season is scheduled to begin on September 19 with a two-match Test series against Bangladesh.