Morkel appointed India's new bowling coach

Forme rSouth Africa pace great Morne Morkel has been roped in as the Indian cricket team's new bowling coach, BCCI secretary Jay Shah told PTI on Wednesday, completing the appointment of new head coach Gautam Gambhir's preferred support staff. It is understood that the 39-year-old, who replaces Paras Mhambrey, will take over as the bowling coach from the Bangladesh series that starts with the opening Test in Chennai from September 19. He has been appointed till the end of the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa.

"Yes, MorneMorkel has been appointed bowling coach of the senior India men's team," Shah told PTI. The other members of Gambhir's support staff are assistant coach Abhishek Nayar, and fielding coach Ryan Ten Doeschate. Morkel was also Gambhir's preferred choice, having worked with him at Lucknow Super Giants during the Indian's two IPL seasons as mentor of the franchise. Morkel has played 86 Tests, 117 ODIs and 44 T20Is for South Africa with a total of 544 international wickets. He will be reporting in Bengaluru's National Cricket Academy at the start of next month and is expected to watch the Duleep Trophy games. Once there, he will also touch base with VVS Laxman and head of bowling in NCA, Troy Cooley. According to sources, Morkel was directly appointed on Gambhir's recommendation ahead of other options like Lakshmipathy Balaji and R Vinay Kumar.

"The Cricket Advisory Committee's (CAC) mandate was to interview the candidates for the head coach. When it came to choice of support staff, it was imperative that Gambhir's choice prevailed. He has worked with Morne and thinks of him highly as a bowling coach," a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.