Morne Morkel has been appointed as the new Bowling Coach of the Indian Cricket Team, as confirmed by Jay Shah to PTI. According to reports on the internet, the addition of Morne Morkel to the Indian Coaching Staff was a decision heavily influenced by Gautam Gambhir.
It has been only just upwards of one month since Gautam Gambhir was appointed as the head coach of India, and he has already made some big changes in the team and the staff. Right now, apart from him, the Coaching staff consists of assistant coaches Abhishek Nayar, Ryan Ten Doeschate and fielding coach T Dilip. Morne Morkel will replace Paras Mhambrey as the bowling coach taking charge of the upcoming test series against Bangladesh on September 17.
What does Morne Morkel bring to the table?
With tons of experience under his belt, the Proteas great will definitely be an upgrade over Mhambrey especially when it comes to understanding and making game plans in overseas conditions. His first and biggest challenge will be undoubtedly taking on the Aussie and English challenge in Test Cricket that the Indian team will soon face starting from the end of 2024. The Border-Gavaskar trophy in Australia, followed by a 5-test match series in England in 2025 will be crucial in India’s road to their 3rd WTC Final next year.
Morne Morkel as a duo with Dale Steyn has racked up impressive numbers in Australia and England both as a player. Now the Gautam-Morkel duo will look to replicate similar numbers as coaches. Gambhir has previously worked with Morne Morkel in the IPL as a part of the LSG coaching staff. No wonder Morkel was what Gautam Gambhir wanted by his side ahead of other shortlisted names like Vinay Kumar and Lakshmipathy Balaji.
Another important challenge Morne Morkel must navigate through as India’s new bowling coach is finding the right setup for Jasprit Bumrah to thrive in. With Mohammad Shami in the twilight of his career, finding a replacement and a partner for Mohammad Siraj and Bumrah is crucial. Thankfully, Morkel has been around the Indian youngsters owing to his IPL coaching experience. Mayank Yadav and Yash Thakur, the LSG-Prodigies worked for two years under Morkel’s wing and it showed on the pitch.
India’s pace attack, already one of the most devastating attacks in the world, has just acquired an absolute guiding force in Morne Morkel,
