Mumbai (Maharashtra): Former South African speedster Morne Morkel has been appointed as the new bowling coach of the Indian cricket team on Wednesday.
Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah has confirmed these developments. "Yes, Morne Morkel has been appointed bowling coach of the senior India men's team," Shah told PTI.
The 39-year-old was the part of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) coaching staff alongside India's current head coach Gautam Gambhir, who served the franchise for two years as the mentor of the LSG when the franchise came into the existence in 2022 Indian Premier League and helped them to reach the playoffs on both occasions.
The former South African fast bowler served as the bowling coach for the Pakistan cricket team during the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. However, he resigned from the position a few months before his contract with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was due to end.
Morkel's appointment was expected to be done before the commencement of the India tour of Sri Lanka for a three-match T20I and as many as ODI series, but the pacer was unable to join the team because of personal issues. In his absence, Sairaj Bahutule served in an interim capacity for the six white-ball matches. His first assignment as a bowling coach will be the test series against Bangladesh at home.
After this appointment, Morkel will not be part of LSG support staff as no coach associated with the national T20I setup can be a part of any franchise, according to IPL rules.
The 39-year-old has played 86 Tests, 117 ODIs and 44 T20Is for South Africa with a total of 544 international wickets.
It is believed that Gambhir is said to have recommended Morkel, Abhishek Nayar, and Ryan ten Deschate to the board for his coaching staff and he has got the desired s with the addition of a new bowling coach. Abhishek Nayar and former Netherlands cricketer Ryan ten Doeschate have joined as assistant coaches, while T Dilip will continue as the fielding coach, a role he previously held under Rahul Dravid's leadership.
