“Looking forward to great journey,” says Morne Morkel as he begins stint as India’s bowling coach

News Mania Desk/ Sohom Chatterjee / 15th September 2024

Former South African bowler Morne Morkel has been appointed as the bowling coach of the Indian Cricket Team under the new regime of head coach Gautam Gambhir. The former Protean has succeeded Paras Mhambrey who previously held the position under the management of Rahul Dravid. He recently joined the team in Chennai ahead of the Bangladesh test series and has been assigned the task of grooming the bowlers.

During his time as a bowler, Morkel had come up against many of the current Indian players such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli several times during on-field battles. While playing in the IPL, he had also engaged and bonded with a few native players which will be crucial in getting the most out of the players.

In an interview posted by BCCI, the former South African international spoke about his excitement to start the new job. He said, “I am looking forward to a great journey and time with India. For me, it is important to connect well with the guys. I have played a lot against some of the players. I have seen and connected with some of the guys in the IPL. The goal is to get an understanding of the guys, their strengths and their weaknesses. I was blown away by how they went about things, how they went with the things, and how professional they were. So that is a good sign.”

Speaking about what plan he has to achieve success, Morkel stated, “I know there will be expectations of winning, and luckily, I have experienced that in my playing days. I can share that knowledge. When I was setting the plan, I reflected upon that we are so lucky to have quality senior players. The senior players lead the charge. It’s our responsibility to support them. Just give them the right sort of advice we can give. It’s a set-up that sort of operates by itself. So to protect that and better it is the goal.”

The first match against Bangladesh will be held at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium from September 19. The second match against the Bangladeshis is set to be played at Kanpur from September 27.