New Delhi: Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir was appointed as Head Coach on 9th July. Following his appointment, GG has requested to appoint South African speedster and former bowling coach of Pakistan, Morne Morkel as Team Indias bowling coach. According to reports, Gambhir has sent the request to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). South African pacer is the latest name on the list. Earlier, former Indian bowlers Vinay Kumar and Zaheer Khans names floated. Media reports claimed that BCCI didnt look convinced about the appointment of Vinay Kumar, while Zaheer Khan was consulted for the role. However, Gambhir has shown interest in former South African cricketer. Notably, Morne Morkel was Pakistans bowling coach for the ODI World Cup 2023, which was hosted in India. His contract with PCB ended prematurely after Pakistans disappointing campaign. Gautam Gambhir wants Morne Morkel as Indias Bowling Coach 🇮🇳👉🏻 Recently, Morne Morkel was the Bowling Coach of Pakistan Cricket Team till World Cup 2023.Whats your take on this 🤔 #GautamGambir pic.twitter.com/WYiU0EMYJQ— Richard Kettleborough (@RichKettle07) July 12, 2024BCCI in talks with Morne MorkelReports also indicated that BCCI has held discussions with Morne Morkel, who is currently residing with family in Australia. However, if the top board fails to finalize Indias batting and bowling coach, NCA support staff is likely to travel alongside Gautam Gambhir for the Sri Lanka tour which will kickstart on July 26. Rahul Dravids tenure terminatesEarlier, head coach Rahul Dravid, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, batting coach Vikram Rathour, and fielding coach T Dilips tenures with BCCI ended after the T20 Word Cup 2024 campaign. Previous assignmentsIn the Indian Premier League (IPL), Gambhir and Morkel worked together for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for two years. Later, Gambhir moved to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). However, the South African pacer is still serving LSG as bowling coach, under new head coach Justin Langer.
