Morkel’s goal as India’s bowling coach -up that operates by itself’

NewsMorkel said he interacted with the players about their goals and was “blown away” by how professional they were

The Indian team is having a preparatory camp in Chennai before the Bangladesh Test series  •  PTI

As India’s new bowling coach, Morne Morkel’s foremost goal is to protect an already well-oiled set-up, and make sure the players “feel at home” despite the weight of expectations.

Morkel, who replaced Paras Mhambrey in the role last month, joined the team in Chennai, where it is preparing for the upcoming home Test series against Bangladesh.

“Coming here, this is a set-up that operates by itself,” Morkel said on bcci.tv. “To protect that and make it better in small ways is going to be the goal.

“When I was sitting in the plane, I reflected that we are so lucky to have quality senior players and they will lead the charge. Our responsibility is to support them and give them the best sort of advice that we can give.

Morkel’s name was recommended by head coach Gautam Gambhir. The two had worked together for Lucknow Super Giants during IPL 2022 and 2023. Morkel said it was important for him to connect with the players and make them feel secure to get the best out of them.

“I have played a lot against some of the players, I have seen and connected a little bit with some of the guys during the IPL,” he said. “To be now in the camp and form friendships and relationships is very important.

“Today’s goal was to get an understanding of the guys, their strengths and weaknesses, and help them with planting those seeds for goals for the upcoming series. That’s the sort of conversation we had today. And the guys did really well. I was blown away by how they went about things, how professional they were. So that’s a good sign and, hopefully, we can build on that.

“It’s one thing to have talent and skill but how can you make those guys feel welcome in an intimidating environment… India playing in the blue shirt is a lot of expectations, so for me, having the experience, going through that, and passing that sort of knowledge and helping them settle in and feel at home [is important].”

“As soon as a player has that comfort and feel that they belong, that’s when the performance comes. So it’s about looking after that and … from there obviously upskill them and get them up to the standard.

Talking about his appointment, Morkel said his dad was the first person he shared the news with.

“It [the appointment] was quite a special moment for me. I enjoyed it for about five to seven minutes with myself and then obviously shared it with the family. The first thing did was to phone my dad first. I spoke to him about it. I didn’t go to my wife. Normally, they say go to your wife first. But I spoke to my dad.

“I feel ready to take up this challenge. I understand and know that there will always be expectations of winning. Luckily, I have experienced that in my playing days and I can share that knowledge.”