Gautam Gambhir Backs Ex-Pakistan Bowling Coach For India Job

Gautam Gambhir is reportedly keen on bringing in South African great Morne Morkel as India's bowling coach. However, the question remains, will the BCCI agree to appoint an overseas support staff member?

New Delhi: Gautam Gambhir has recommended to the BCCI that former South African pacer Morne Morkel be considered for the role of Team India’s bowling coach, as reported by Cricbuzz on Thursday. This suggestion comes after previous considerations of Vinay Kumar and Zaheer Khan. The BCCI was reportedly not very interested in hiring Vinay Kumar. While discussions about Zaheer Khan have taken place, Gambhir has now turned his attention to Morkel. Morkel served as Pakistan’s bowling coach during the ODI World Cup in India last year but ended his contract with the PCB shortly after the tournament.

According to recent reports, the BCCI has already engaged in discussions with Morne Morkel, who is currently based in Australia with his family. However, the final decision on his appointment may still take some time. If the BCCI is unable to finalize the appointments for India’s next batting, bowling, and fielding coaches within the next week or so, VVS Laxman’s NCA support staff could potentially join Gambhir for the upcoming Sri Lanka tour, which kicks off with the T20I series on July 26.

The tenures of head coach Rahul Dravid, batting coach Vikram Rathour, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, and fielding coach T Dilip all concluded with the T20 World Cup. However, there is a possibility that Dilip might receive an extension.

Morne Morkel and Gautam Gambhir share a long-standing connection. Gambhir, the former India opener, once described Morkel as one of the toughest bowlers he ever faced. This respect for Morkel’s skills was a key reason Gambhir brought him into the Kolkata Knight Riders squad during his captaincy. Morkel played for KKR between 2014 and 2016.

The pacer, who represented South Africa in 86 Tests, 117 ODIs, and 44 T20Is between 2006 and 2018, has maintained a close relationship with Gambhir. When Gambhir joined the Lucknow Super Giants as a mentor, he enlisted Morkel as their bowling coach.

Morkel and Gambhir collaborated at LSG for two years before Gambhir transitioned to the Kolkata Knight Riders. Morkel remains the bowling coach of LSG, now working under new head coach Justin Langer.

There are a couple of challenges in bringing Morkel on board. The first challenge lies at the BCCI’s level, as the board is generally not inclined to hire overseas support staff. During the tenures of Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid, there were no overseas recruits. This reluctance was also why the board turned down Jonty Rhodes for the fielding coach position. Unless Gambhir strongly advocates for Morkel, there is little reason to believe the board will change its stance.

The BCCI typically allows the head coach to choose their support staff freely.

If Gambhir can convince the BCCI, the next challenge will be persuading Morkel to commit to being on the road for nearly 10 months a year until the end of 2027. Morkel resides in the upscale Seaforth suburb in northern Sydney with his wife, Roz Kelly, a sports presenter on Channel 9, and their two children.

Should everything align, Morkel would be an outstanding addition to India’s coaching staff. He possesses extensive knowledge of the game and has already made a name for himself in his relatively short coaching career. During his time with Pakistan, he was often credited with the development of Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, and Wasim Junior.