Morne Morkel appointed as India men’s bowling coach

File picture of Morne Morkel, left, with Lucknow Super Giants’ Mayank Yadav. The South African has been appointed bowling coach of the Indian men’s cricket team
| Photo Credit: PTI

Morne Morkel, former South Africa speedster, has been appointed as India’s men’s cricket team’s bowling coach. Morkel’s appointment completes trio suggested by the new head coach Gautam Gambhir.

Jay Shah, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary, confirmed that Morkel will join for the two-Test series against Bangladesh, starting September 19. The Hindu understands that Morkel will arrive in India in time ahead of the weeklong preparatory camp in Chennai, likely to begin from September 10.

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Morkel, after having been Gambhir’s teammate at the Indian Premier League franchisee Kolkata Knight Riders, was roped in as the bowling coach by Lucknow Super Giants during Gambhir’s stint as the mentor.

Besides his experience as bowling coach in franchise cricket across the globe, Morkel also worked as the bowling coach of Pakistan men’s team during the 2023 ODI World Cup in India.

Ahead of his appointment last month as the head coach, Gambhir had stressed on roping in Morkel along with Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate. While the other two joined as assistant coaches for the limited overs tour to Sri Lanka, Morkel’s appointment was delayed since he wasn’t available to join at such a short notice.

Besides, the BCCI hierarchy is understood to be averse to having too many overseas faces in the team’s support staff. Morkel’s appointment thus completes Gambhir’s wishlist. It will be interesting to see how he shapes the pace battery for the big five-match Test series in Australia later this year.