Team India bowling coach Morne Morkel’s father has passed away, and the former pacer has left for South Africa from Dubai. No information is available on his return for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The Men in Blue are practising in Dubai before their opening match against Bangladesh on February 20. Morkel has been with the team since February 15, when Indian cricketers landed in Dubai for the tournament. He had joined the team before the two-Test series against Bangladesh last year.
He replaced Paras Mhambrey, whose tenure ended after the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. However, he was slammed for the team’s bowling performance against New Zealand and Australia.
The bowlers failed to get going against the Kiwis at home, as the visitors won the three-match red ball series 3-0. The subcontinent nation was then humiliated by Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The hosts won the assignment by a margin of 3-1.
Morne Morkel had previously worked with Pakistan and Lucknow Super Giants. Gambhir was the mentor of LSG and liked how Morkel improved the franchise’s bowling performances.
He had urged the BCCI to appoint Morkel as the national team’s bowling coach and the cricket board accepted his request. Morkel was preferred over Vijay Kumar. His immediate absence could impact the Indian team in the big ICC event.
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