Former Pakistan coach joins team India support staff under Gautam Gambhir

BCCI Secretary Jay Shah has confirmed the appointment of former Pakistan coach Morne Morkel as the new bowling coach of the senior Indian men's team. 

Morkel's contract is set to commence on September 1, as reported by Cricbuzz.

Morkel, who was initially expected to join the Indian team on their recent tour of Sri Lanka, had to miss the tour due to personal issues. During this period, Sairaj Bahutule stepped in as the interim bowling coach for the six white-ball matches. 

Morkel will now take over the role for the upcoming home series against Bangladesh, starting with the Chennai Test on September 19.

At 39 years old, Morkel brings a wealth of experience to the Indian coaching staff. He will be working under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir, with whom he previously collaborated at the Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League (IPL). 

Gambhir, who is believed to have recommended Morkel for the position, has forged a strong working relationship with the former South African fast bowler during their time together at LSG.

Despite Gambhir’s departure from LSG to join Kolkata Knight Riders and the subsequent move of head coach Andy Flower to Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Morkel continued to contribute as the bowling coach under the new head coach, Justin Langer.

Morkel had also served as the bowling coach for the Pakistan team during last year's ODI World Cup in India but resigned from his position months before his contract ended.

Gambhir’s current coaching team includes Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate as assistant coaches. T Dilip, who served as the fielding coach under the previous regime led by Rahul Dravid, retained his position in the new setup.