India cricket fans celebrated the appointment of Gautam Gambhir as the national team’s new head coach. The World Cup winner of 2007 and 2011 has replaced Rahul Dravid. Gambhir’s first assignment will be a tour of Sri Lanka starting on July 26.

Zaheer Khan, Laxmipathy Balaji also in the running

BCCI mulling on next India bowling coach

After appointing Gautam Gambhir as the new head coach, the BCCI has struggled to finalize the support staff to assist the former India opener. Multiple reports indicate that Gambhir had requested Abhishek Nayar as the batting coach and Vinay Kumar as the bowling coach, but the BCCI ultimately decided against approving Vinay Kumar for the role.

Recently, several prominent cricketers, including Zaheer Khan and Laxmipati Balaji, have been considered for the bowling coach position. Now, reports indicate that Gautam Gambhir has requested the BCCI to appoint former Pakistan bowling coach Morne Morkel for the role.

Morkel, an experienced coach with a track record in high-profile roles, served as Pakistan’s bowling coach during the ODI World Cup 2023. However, he resigned from the position before his contract was set to expire.

Morkel, a 39-year-old veteran, represented South Africa in 86 Test matches, 117 ODIs, and 44 T20Is since his debut in 2006. The former pacer retired from international cricket in 2018 and has since taken on various coaching roles. According to reports, the BCCI has approached Morkel to gauge his interest in becoming India’s next bowling coach, with ongoing discussions to finalize the appointment.

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Gambhir’s bond with Morkel goes way back. Gambhir described Morkel as one of the toughest bowlers he had faced, which was a key factor in Gambhir bringing Morkel in to the Kolkata Knight Riders team when he was the captain. Morkel played for KKR from 2014 to 2016.

Morkel and Gambhir collaborated as part of the LSG coaching staff for two years before Gambhir departed to join Kolkata Knight Riders. Morkel remains the bowling coach of LSG and ks now working under the team’s new head coach, Justin Langer.

Morne Morkel, who lives in northern Sydney with his wife Roz Kelly, a sports presenter, and their two young children, is considering the India bowling coach position. However, this role would require extensive travel, meaning Morkel would have to spend considerable time away from his family. As a result, he is consulting with his family before making a final decision.