(BCCI Photo)
Former South African cricketer Morne Morkel is being considered to take over as the bowling coach of the Indian men’s cricket team, succeeding Paras Mhambrey. Morkel, who previously played alongside Gautam Gambhir at Kolkata Knight Riders, has collaborated with him in the support staff of Lucknow Super Giants in the past.
As reported by Cricbuzz, Gambhir, recently appointed as the head coach of Team India, has recommended Morkel’s candidacy to the BCCI, leading to discussions between Morkel and the board.
During their tenure at Lucknow Super Giants, Gambhir and Morkel contributed to the franchise’s successful playoff runs over two seasons.
Retiring from international cricket in 2018, Morkel boasts an impressive career with South Africa, having taken 544 wickets across 86 Tests, 117 ODIs, and 44 T20Is.
Following Gambhir’s move to KKR as a mentor for IPL 2024, Morkel continued with Lucknow Super Giants under new head coach Justin Langer, contributing to the team’s championship victory earlier this year.
As the search for the new bowling coach continues, other contenders reportedly include Zaheer Khan, R Vinay Kumar, and Lakshmipathy Balaji. Additionally, Gambhir has proposed bringing Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate, both part of the KKR coaching staff, to join him in Team India’s coaching setup.
A youthful Indian T20I squad is presently engaged in a five-match series tour of Zimbabwe, accompanied by VVS Laxman, currently serving as the head of the National Cricket Academy, who has joined them in an interim coaching role.
Meanwhile, the forthcoming white-ball series in Sri Lanka marks Gautam Gambhir’s debut assignment as India’s head coach. Scheduled to commence later this month, the tour will feature three ODIs and an equal number of T20Is.
