Former South African fast bowler Morne Morkel has been appointed as team India’s bowling coach. His first assignment as the bowling coach in India’s home two-match Test series against Bangladesh, commencing from September 19. His tenure will extend through the 2027 Cricket World Cup which is scheduled to be held in South Africa.
The 39-year-old is scheduled to report to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru at the beginning of September. He is also anticipated to observe the 2024 Duleep Trophy matches. During his visit, he will meet NCA head VVS Laxman and Troy Cooley, head of bowling at the NCA.
After the two Tests and three T20Is against Bangladesh, he will be coaching the Indian team for the three-match Test series against New Zealand. Notably, his major assignment will be the Border Gavaskar Trophy which will begin from November 22 as India aims to continue their dominance against Australia in the series.
The 39-year-old will join assistant coaches Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate, along with fielding coach T Dilip. Nayar, Dilip, and Doeschate were part of India’s support staff during the recent Sri Lanka tour post the ICC T20 World Cup triumph. Meanwhile, NCA bowling coach Sairaj Bahutulle served as the interim bowling coach during this tour.
Morkel succeeds former India pacer Paras Mhambrey, who was the bowling coach during Rahul Dravid’s stint. Mhambrey’s contract concluded after the T20 World Cup. Additionally, an official confirmation from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding the appointment of Morkel is yet to be announced.
Morkel brings a significant amount of experience to the bowling coach role of the Indian team. He has represented South Africa in all formats, featuring in 86 Tests, 117 ODIs, and 44 T20Is, picking up 309, 188, and 47 wickets, respectively. He also formed one of the most formidable bowling attacks globally alongside veterans Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander.
After calling time on his international career at the age of 33, Morkel participated in county cricket. He started his coaching career with Pakistan as their bowling coach. During his tenure, he brought the best out of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah in the lead-up to the 2023 Cricket World Cup. He discontinued his role after Pakistan’s lackluster performance in this tournament.
Additionally, he has represented Kolkata Knight Riders for three seasons in the Indian Premier League (IPL) alongside Gautam Gambhir. The duo also collaborated at the IPL side Lucknow Super Giants, where Gambhir served as the mentor and Morkel as the bowling coach.