Morne Morkel Set To Become New Bowling Coach For India Men's Cricket Team: Report

India New Bowling Coach: Morne Morkel, the former South Africa bowler, is reportedly confirmed to become the new bowling coach of the Indian men's cricket team.

India New Bowling Coach: Morne Morkel is set to be Team India men's next bowling coach.

Source : X/ @PankajV66552002

India New Bowling Coach: Morne Morkel, the former South African pacer, has been named the new bowling coach for the Indian men's cricket team as per a report by Cricbuzz. He is set to join the coaching staff including Abhishek Nayar, Ryan ten Doeschate and the Indian team’s head coach Gautam Gambhir from September 1. Morkel will begin his role for the upcoming home series against Bangladesh, starting with the Chennai Test on September 19.

Morne Morkel was unable to join the Indian team on their recent tour of Sri Lanka due to personal reasons, with Sairaj Bahutule stepping in as interim bowling coach for the six white-ball matches. 

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The 39-year-old has previously served as the bowling coach for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL ) and their sister franchise in the SA20, Durban Super Giants. Notably, he has also been the Pakistan’s men’s cricket team’s bowling coach.

Morne Morkel-Gautam Gambhir Connection From IPL

Morkel worked with Gautam Gambhir at LSG in the IPL and it is Gambhir who, in all likelihood, recommended Morkel for the position in the Indian team's support staff setup. During their time at LSG, Gambhir and Morkel developed a strong working relationship. Even after Gambhir's departure and coaching changes, Morkel continued as the franchise’s bowling coach under Justin Langer.

Interestingly, Morkel has also played alongside Gautam Gambhir at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for three seasons. 

Morkel, a prominent fast bowler for South Africa from 2006 to 2018, was known for his height of 6'5" and ability to generate extra bounce with the help of it. He took 309 wickets in 86 Test matches averaging 27.67 and 188 wickets in 117 ODIs, averaging 25.32. Morkel, along with Dale Steyn, formed a formidable bowling partnership that frequently led South Africa to victories.