South African pacer Morne Morkel has been appointed as Team India’s new bowling coach, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah told ANI.
When the BCCI named Gautam Gambhir as India’s Head Coach, they did not confirm whether the previous support staff would stay or if new members would be added.
Some reports indicated that Gambhir had asked for R Vinay Kumar as the bowling coach and Jonty Rhodes for fielding, but the board allegedly declined both requests.
Another report claimed that Gautam Gambhir had suggested that BCCI should think about hiring Morkel as Team India’s bowling coach. The BCCI had already been in discussions with Morkel, the report claimed. Morkel was Pakistan’s bowling coach until the ODI World Cup 2023.
The 39-year-old quit as Pakistan coach much ahead of his contract’s end. Under his guidance, Pakistan’s performance in the World Cup was disappointing.
Gambhir and Morkel have enjoyed a strong professional bond, first as teammates for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL and later as coaches. Gambhir also highly regarded Morkel as a bowler, describing him as the most formidable opponent in cricket he encountered.
“Morne Morkel is the fiercest bowler I have ever faced. That’s why we got him in KKR as well. I thought he was the toughest bowler I faced. Even when he was playing for Delhi. Every time I faced him, I wish we had him in our team. And the moment he was released, I said Morne Morkel,” Gambhir said in 2017.
BCCI wanted an Indian coach
Reports indicated that the BCCI preferred an all-Indian coaching team, a pattern followed for the past seven years under the leadership of Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid. This preference was believed to be the reason behind the BCCI’s lack of interest in appointing overseas coaches.
Morne Morkel played 86 Tests, 117 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 44 T20Is for South Africa. India’s first series under Gambhir’s leadership had mixed results. While the Men in Blue won the T20I series against Sri Lanka 3-0, they lost the ODI series 0-2 against the hosts.