Morne Morkel has formally started his services as the bowling coach of the Indian men’s cricket team having linked up with the squad in Chennai recently where preparations are going on for the first Test of a two-match series against Bangladesh starting September 19. Morkel is widely considered among the finest fast bowlers of his era who bid goodbye to international cricket at a surprising young age of 33.
Also Read: Morkel’s First Impression as New India Bowling Coach
The South African great took 544 wickets during his international career spread across 86 Tests, 117 ODIs and 44 T20Is between December 2006 and February 2018. While he continued playing cricket professionally, Morkel has also dabbled into coaching having been associated with IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants and Pakistan cricket team.
Bowling coach of the Indian men’s cricket team is the latest role on his resume and the 39-year-old recalls how after having the discussions with BCCI regarding confirmation of his appointment, he took some time to let the development sink in.
“So when I ended the call, I sat for about five minutes in the room. I spoke to my dad first and didn’t even go to my wife. Normally, they say you tell the wife first, so quite a special moment for me,” Morkel quipped in an interview with BCCI.
“I enjoyed it 5-7 minutes with myself and then shared with the family about the opportunity and about eventually what might happen, so happy that we eventually got things over the line and this happened, looking forward to great journey and time with India,” he added.
Morkel is also a fan of Indian cuisine.
“I love Puri, breakfast I love my dosas, malai chicken but as a coach you need to show players that you eat healthy, players would follow,” he said.
Morkel is aware that there will be expectations from him to churn out results and he’s ready for the challenge. “I understand that there will be expectations of winning and luckily I have experienced that in my playing days and I can share that knowledge,” he said.
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