The former South Africa pacer, Morne Morkel, has been confirmed as the new bowling coach of the Indian cricket team. This shrewd move is none but of the new Head Coach of the Indian team, Gautam Gambhir, who was quite insistent on having Morkel onboard his coaching staff. With the joining of Morkel, Gambhir finally gets the team of his dreams after previously confirming Abhishek Nayar and Ryan Ten Doeschate as assistant coaches.
Gautam Gambhir’s respect for what Morkel can do with the ball goes all the way back to his playing days, where he once said that Morkel was the “fiercest bowler” he had ever faced in his career. But as seen, this mutual respect and understanding of each other’s capabilities have deep roots.
They were teammates part of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League, and reunited as members of the Lucknow Super Giants staff. The bond is built on a journey of shared professional experience where at all points of time they worked together in different capacities with an assurance of bringing out the best in each other.
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Asked who the toughest bowler he had come across was, during an interview on ‘Breakfast with Champions,’ Gambhir named Morne Morkel. More than anything else, he referred to that awkward bounce that Morkel could extract, which made him such a difficult proposition. Gambhir even mentioned how he always wanted Morkel on his side during his playing days, and the wish came true when the pair joined KKR.
Gambhir reunites with Morne Morkel again. https://t.co/xqOt3ecwky pic.twitter.com/EGWMdVWSVP
— Aditya Saha (@Adityakrsaha) August 14, 2024
Hence, Morkel brings that experience in subcontinental conditions and the vast time spent in the IPL into the Indian coaching staff, which proves invaluable. He is already familiar with India’s emerging talent, having had young bowlers like Mayank Yadav, Avesh Khan, and Yash Thakur working under him at LSG. This prior experience with India’s next generation of bowlers, no doubt, comes in handy while easing into his new role.
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Immediately after the 2023 World Cup, Morkel finally ended his coaching tenure with the Pakistan national team to start a new chapter with India. Already 39, Morkel comes with a lot of experience. His main task will be to nurture and groom India’s fast bowlers, especially reviving veterans like Mohammed Shami back into form after injuries. More importantly, his mentorship will be instrumental for the growth of young pacers like Arshdeep Singh and Khaleel Ahmed, both of whom are on the cusp of making their red-ball debuts.
The appointment of Morkel is a giant leap for Indian cricket; his astute insights and experience will play a big role in shaping the future of the team’s bowling attack.
