Albie Morkel reveals what will be the biggest challenge for Morne Morkel as India's bowling coach

Former South African pacer Morne Morkel is all set to step into one of cricket’s most scrutinized and under-pressure roles as the new bowling coach for the Indian cricket team at the age of just 39 years.

This position is known for its high expectations and intense pressure, which comes with its own set of challenges, particularly given the legacy of his predecessors, Bharat Arun and Paras Mhambrey.

Both Arun and Mhambrey left behind significant achievements, which only intensifies the spotlight on Morkel, who will begin his tenure as India’s bowling coach next month ahead of their two-match Test series against Bangladesh, starting on September 19 in Chennai.

Albie Morkel backs younger brother Morne as he faces daunting challenges as India’s bowling coach

Albie Morkel, Morne’s older brother and a well-established coach, acknowledged how the tough job his younger brother took up with the BCCI. The former South African all-rounder has pointed out that the Indian cricket team’s rich history and recent successes make Morne’s position one of the most challenging in the coaching world.

Albie Morkel further mentioned that Morne’s first and toughest task will be to earn the confidence of established Indian players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Ravindra Jadeja and prove his ability to bring out their best performance consistently.

Morne will have the daunting task of maintaining and enhancing India’s formidable bowling attack. Team Indian has consistently relied on its bowlers to win matches in the past few years, as they are now able to regularly take all 20 wickets. However, the real challenge for Morne will be to nurture the next generation of fast bowlers for Indian cricket.

With current stars like Bumrah, Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Arshdeep Singh leading the pace attack, Morkel must identify and develop emerging talent to sustain India's bowling strength in the future. However, the former South African pacer doesn’t have much coaching experience at the highest level, but he is not entirely new to the Indian cricket scene.

It is a job with no room for error: Albie Morkel on India's tough job

He previously worked with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL, where he worked with India’s new head coach Gautam Gambhir. Morkel and Gambhir have also shared the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) dressing room in the IPL as players before working as coaches for the LSG and it will help the new coach in his job.

Albie Morkel was quoted as saying by Mid-Day: “It goes without saying that being on the Indian team's coaching staff is probably the biggest responsibility or coaching job out there. The passion for the sport and the success that the team had in the past makes it a job with no room for error.

He will be surrounded by some very good players who have achieved a lot, so I guess, for him, it's a matter of earning their trust and believe that he can help to reach their full potential day in and day out,” Albie Morkel added.

Apart from working with the LSG, Morkel also worked as Pakistan's bowling coach. He also worked with New Zealand at the 2023 ODI World Cup and Namibia at the T20 World Cup 2024.