Gambhir wants Morne Morkel as bowling coach; BCCI yet to take final call

Morne Morkel is in the running to be India’s bowling coach. The former South Africa pacer, who has extensive coaching experience, is on the bucket list of Gautam Gambhir, the newly appointed head coach of the Indian team. Morkel was the coach of the Pakistan team during last year’s ODI World Cup in India but quit the job months before his contract with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was set to expire.

Gambhir is believed to have requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to consider Morkel, who played 86 Tests, 117 ODIs, and 44 T20Is in a period between 2006 and 2018, for the position of bowling coach. Cricbuzz can confirm that some discussions have taken place with the South African, who is now settled in Australia.

Both Gambhir and Morkel are known to have had a good working relationship at the Lucknow Super Giants IPL team, where Gambhir served as a mentor for two years. Morkel continued as the franchise’s bowling coach under new head coach Justin Langer after Gambhir left to join the Kolkata Knight Riders and head coach Andy Flower moved to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Morkel has carved a strong reputation of being an effective coach at both international as well as in the IPL circles. At 39 and having retired only in 2018, Morkel remains well-versed and up to date in the latest techniques of the game. Gambhir, known for working with people he is comfortable with, is believed to be keen on having Morkel in his coaching team.

Several names have been linked to the bowling coach position, including Lakshmipathy Balaji and Vinay Kumar. Reports have also suggested that the BCCI is considering Zaheer Khan for the role. While a final decision has yet to be made, it appears that the BCCI may reach a conclusion soon. One of the considerations is Morkel’s young family and the extensive travel required for the India job. He lives in the plush Seaforth suburb in northern Sydney with his wife Roz Kelly, a sports presenter on Channel 9. The couple have two children.

If appointed, Morkel would replace Paras Mhambrey, who has excelled in the role for the past three years under head coach Rahul Dravid. As previously reported by Cricbuzz previously, Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate are a couple of other recommendations of Gambhir and the BCCI is believed to be keen on retaining fielding T Dilip from the outgoing Dravid regime.