Former South African pacer Morne Morkel has been roped in as the bowling coach of the Indian cricket team, a position that comes under severe criticism when things don't go well.
Morkel, who will begin his tenure with the Bangladesh Test series next month, replaces two very good predecessors – Bharat Arun and Paras Mhambrey.
During the stints of Arun and Mhambrey, the Indian bowlers performed exceptionally well as they scripted two Test series wins on Australian soil, drew a red-ball series in England and clinched the Asia Cup 2023 and the T20 World Cup 2024 among other notable achievements.
While Morne has big shoes to fill, his older brother Albie Morkel is confident that the former would excel in his new job.
"It goes without saying that being on the Indian team's coaching staff is probably the biggest responsibility or coaching job out there. The passion for the sport and the success that the team had in the past makes it a job with no room for error. He will be surrounded by some very good players who have achieved a lot, so I guess, for him, it's a matter of earning their trust and believe that he can help to reach their full potential day in and day out," Albie told Mid-Day.
It will be interesting to see how Morne Morkel goes along with Jasprit Bumrah - India's pace spearhead and easily the world's best fast bowler across formats.
Bumrah played a key role in India’s T20 World Cup triumph a couple of months back. He was lethal with the new ball and nailed his yorkers to perfection in the death overs, finishing the competition with 15 wickets to his name at an economy of 4.50 to earn the Player-of-the-Tournament award.
"Once again, I don’t know what his exact thoughts would be, but Jasprit is the best all-format bowler in the world. He is very special and I’m sure Morne would love to work with him," Albie stated.
Talking about Morne Morkel’s CV, he coached Babar Azam's Pakistan side at the ODI World Cup in 2023. The 39-year-old parted ways with the Pakistan Cricket Board after the team’s dismal show in the marquee event.
Morkel has previously worked with Namibia, Lucknow Super Giants in competitive cricket. He was also associated with the New Zealand women's team at the T20 World Cup last year.
Morne is likely to come handy while dealing with the mental aspects of Indian bowlers, especially in case of an injury.
"It's a fine line between being too technical and what's right. I think the game has changed so much over the last decade. Younger bowlers or bowlers who struggle with injuries probably need more technical work, and after that it's about fine tuning what you have. The mental aspect becomes very important then to sustain longevity," said Albie.
"I haven't worked with him on that level, but what he has is a lot of experience in most situations that the bowlers might encounter. If he applies that in his coaching and find ways to communicate that in a way that makes sense, he will add a lot of value."
