Morne Morkel, at 39, brings a lot of experience as both a former international cricketer and a coach.
Following chief coach Gautam Gambhir’s recommendation, Morkel has been appointed as the Indian men’s cricket team’s bowling coach. His contract starts on September 1, as confirmed by BCCI sources on Wednesday.
Morkel’s appointment comes at an important time for Indian cricket, with the team gearing up for a challenging home series against Bangladesh, beginning with the Chennai Test on September 19. Though Morkel was supposed to join the team during their recent Sri Lanka tour, personal matters delayed his start. Sairaj Bahutule stepped in as a temporary coach for the six white-ball matches.
Morne Morkel has previously worked with Gambhir at the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where they developed a strong working relationship.
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Gambhir, who was a mentor at LSG, collaborated closely with Morkel during his time as bowling coach, helping to shape the team’s strategies. Their partnership was highly valued, even after Gambhir moved on to Kolkata Knight Riders and head coach Andy Flower joined Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Morkel also served as the bowling coach for the Pakistan national team during the ODI World Cup in India last year but resigned from his role with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) months before his contract ended.
Alongside Morkel, the coaching team led by Gambhir includes Abhishek Nayar and former Dutch cricketer Ryan ten Doeschate as assistant coaches. T. Dilip, who was the fielding coach under Rahul Dravid’s leadership, will continue in his role, providing continuity in the team’s preparations.
