Gautam Gambhir has approached the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) with a request to appoint Morne Morkel as the bowling coach for the national team. Following the announcement of Gambhir as the new head coach, the BCCI is in the process of finalizing the rest of the support staff in preparation for the forthcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka.
According to Cricbuzz, Gambhir is particularly interested in bringing on board former South African fast bowler Morne Morkel to replace Paras Mhambrey as the bowling coach. Morkel brings considerable coaching experience, having recently coached the Pakistan team during the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. Despite his contract with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) still being valid, Morkel resigned from his position several months early.
Discussions have been initiated with Morkel, who is currently residing in Australia. Gambhir and Morkel have a positive professional history, having worked together with the Lucknow Super Giants, where Gambhir served as a mentor before transitioning to the Kolkata Knight Riders, while Morkel remained with the KL Rahul-led franchise.
Morkel, who retired from international cricket in 2018, has impressive credentials, with 309 Test wickets, 188 ODI wickets, and 47 T20I wickets from 86, 117, and 44 matches, respectively. His familiarity with contemporary cricket strategies is seen as a valuable asset for the Indian team. Other candidates mentioned for the bowling coach role include former Indian cricketers Lakshmipathy Balaji and Vinay Kumar, as well as the renowned Zaheer Khan.
Morkel’s potential appointment also considers the impact on his personal life, as he resides in Sydney’s Seaforth suburb with his wife, Roz Kelly, a Channel 9 sports presenter, and their two children. In addition to Morkel, Gambhir is also reportedly interested in adding Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate to the support staff. However, the BCCI has not yet made any final decisions regarding these appointments.
The new coaching team is expected to be in place for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka, where the Indian team is scheduled to play three T20Is and three ODIs.
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