Morne Morkel appointed India’s bowling coach

Morne Morkel has been appointed as the bowling coach for the Indian men’s senior cricket team, with his tenure starting on September 1, as confirmed by BCCI Secretary Jay Shah.

Morkel was unable to accompany the Indian team on their recent tour of Sri Lanka due to personal reasons, leading to Sairaj Bahutule stepping in as the interim bowling coach for the six white-ball matches. However, Morkel is set to take up his coaching responsibilities in the upcoming home series against Bangladesh, beginning with the Chennai Test on September 19.

The 39-year-old Morkel will join the Indian coaching setup under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir, with whom he has a history of collaboration at the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). It is believed that Gambhir, who formed a strong professional relationship with Morkel during their time at LSG, recommended him for the role of India’s bowling coach.

During their stint at LSG, Gambhir served as a mentor, while Morkel worked as the bowling coach, continuing in this role even after Gambhir moved on to the Kolkata Knight Riders and head coach Andy Flower shifted to Royal Challengers Bangalore. Morkel then worked under new LSG head coach Justin Langer.

Previously, Morkel was the bowling coach for Pakistan during the last ODI World Cup held in India, but he stepped down from the position months before his contract with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was due to end.

Gambhir’s current coaching team also features Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate as assistant coaches. T Dilip, who was part of the previous coaching regime under Rahul Dravid, will continue in his role as the fielding coach.