South Africa’s former fast bowler, Morne Morkel has been appointed as the new bowling coach of the Indians men’s cricket team. The BCCI secretary Jay Shah made the confirmation official on Wednesday. Morne Morkel has now officially replaced India’s previous bowling coach Pravin Bhamare.
After Gautam Gambhir took over the head coach position of the Indian Cricket Team, he recommended the names of Abhishek Nayar, Ryan Ten Doeschate, and Morne Morkel for different roles in the support staff.
Ahead of the start of the Sri Lanka series, Gambhir confirmed the inclusion of Nayar and Ten doeschate as assistant coaches, however, Morne Morkel wasn’t willing to join the team at such short notice.
However, it has now been confirmed that Morne Morkel is officially the new Indian bowling coach. He will join the squad in time before the start of the two-match Test series against Bangladesh.
“Yes, Morne Morkel has been appointed bowling coach of the senior India men’s team,” Shah told PTI.
For the unversed, Morne Morkel has previously worked with Gautam Gambhir for two seasons in the Indian Premier League. The duo was part of the Lucknow Super Giants franchise in the 2022 and 2023 editions.
Morne Morkel finished his international career with 544 wickets
A tall and fast bowler, Morne Morkel was once a vital cog in South Africa’s bowling unit. He announced his retirement from international cricket post the Australia series in 2018. In his illustrious career, Morkel represented South Africa in 86 Tests, 117 ODIs, and 44 T20Is, picking 309, 188, and 47 wickets, respectively.
Besides, he played 70 matches in the Indian Premier League for different franchises, namely Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals, and Kolkata Knight Riders.
Prior to being appointed as the Indian Cricket Team’s bowling coach, Morne Morkel served as the bowling coach for the Pakistan Cricket Team in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Interestingly, he resigned from his position before the contract ended.
