Former South African pacer Morne Morkel has been named as the bowling coach for the Indian men’s cricket team, as per reports.
Morkel’s contract is slated to start from September 1 and is expected to run for a duration of three years. He will replace Paras Mhambrey, who formed a vital part of the set-up headed by former head coach Rahul Dravid. Their contract ended with the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which India won earlier in the year.
Morkel has represented South Africa in a total of 247 international matches across formats, claiming 544 wickets.
He ventured into coaching after hanging his boots from international cricket at the age of 33. He was the bowling coach of Pakistan at the 2023 ICC Men’s ODI World Cup held in India.
Morkel has worked closely with the newly appointed Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir in the past. The 39-year-old pacer formed a vital cog in the wheel during his playing days for Kolkata Knight Riders – a team which Gambhir led.
The duo were also part of the Lucknow Super Giants set-up with Gambhir as a mentor and Morkel as bowling coach in the Indian Premier League.
Morkel’s appointment completes the Indian coaching staff which already has Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate as assistant coaches and T Dilip as the fielding coach.
His first assignment will be a Test series at home against Bangladesh, which is slated to start from September 19.
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