Former South Africa pace legend Morne Morkel has been appointed the bowling coach of the Indian men's cricket team, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah confirmed on Wednesday
Morkel will report to head coach Gautam Gambhir, who worked with him for a couple of seasons at the Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League.
The two-Test home series against Bangladesh next month will be Morkel's first assignment with the Indian team. This will be Morkel's second stint as a bowling coach of an international cricket team after working with Pakistan.
Gambhir had personally asked for Morkel to join his support staff when he was laying down his conditions to the BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee when he as giving the interview for head coach's post in Mumbai.
Morne Morkel Profile
Morne Morkel was known for his height, pace, and lethal bowling during his career. Standing at 6'5", Morkel was a key player for South Africa from 2006 to 2018, forming a formidable fast-bowling trio with Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander.
He played in 86 Tests, 117 ODIs, and 44 T20Is, taking over 300 wickets in Test cricket. Morkel's ability to generate steep bounce made him a nightmare for batsmen, especially on fast, bouncy pitches.
Morkel is sixth on the list of most successful bowlers for the Proteas in international cricket with 535 wickets across formats.
After retiring from international cricket, he played in various T20 leagues and later transitioned into coaching, contributing his expertise to the next generation of cricketers.
