Morne Morkel to be India's new bowling coach; Jay Shah confirms
His first assignment will be the home test series against Bangladesh, which will commence on September 19th.
Following their T20 World Cup victory, Team India has appointed a new bowling coach as part of several changes in the coaching department. After winning the T20 World Cup team India has opted for multiple changes in the coaching department. Earlier, Indian legend Gautam Gambhir was appointed as the head coach of the team, taking charge from Rahul Dravid. Now announcing an all-new appointment, the BCCI secretary, Jay Shah, has confirmed the arrival of the South African pacer as the new bowling coach for the team.
The former South African fast bowler is anticipated to launch his campaign in the Indian dressing room on September 1st. His first assignment will be the home test series against Bangladesh, which will commence on September 19th. His contract will last till the 2027 ODI World Cup, which will be played in his home country, South Africa.
His operation will start next month, and initially, he will report to Bengaluru’s National Cricket Academy, where he will spectate Duleep Trophy games. He is also expected to share the company with VVS Laxman and Troy Cooley.
Morkel was a part of the most lethal bowling attacks in the South African squad. He, alongside Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander, dominated World cricket for almost a decade. He has a glorifying bowling stats with 544 wickets in all three formats for South Africa. He represented his team in 86 Tests, 117 ODIs and 44 T20Is.
Coaching Experience
Following his retirement from international cricket at the age of 33, he played country cricket for a while before starting his coaching career. The 6’5 tall pacer made his international coaching debut with Pakistan’s National team. Over his tenure there, he successfully shaped one of the most dangerous bowling attacks in modern-day cricket led by Shaheen Sha Afridi alongside Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah. Morkel left the job after a disastrous performance by the Pakistani team in the 2023, 50 over’s World Cup.
Morkel has an experience of Indian conditions following his time here in the country during the IPL. His involvement in the IPL ranges from a player to a coach. He has shared the dressing room with the current Indian head coach, Gautam Gambhir multiple times. Morkel was part of Gambhir’s KKR in the 2014 season. They both worked together in LSG as well, where Gambhir was the mentor and Morkel was the bowling coach.
The African pacer will replace the former bowling coach of India, Paras Mhambrey. Mhambrey, under the Head coach Dravid, had a great run in the Indian Team. They bid farewell to the team after a triumphal T20 World Cup of 2024.
BCCI has still not released an official statement but Secretary Jay Shah has confirmed the news to PTI, “Yes, Morne Morkel has been appointed bowling coach of the senior India men’s team,”
However, Gambhir has criticised the appointment of foreign coaches multiple times during his interview. According to Gambhir, foreign coaches don’t work with the same affection and patriotism as the Indian coaches. He believes that former Indian players should be given the role of The coach as they also have rich experience alongside love and dedication for the country.
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