While the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 is less than a week away to begin, the Indian camp is not in a comfortable position due to the top-order batting confusion. Just two days before the beginning of the Perth Test, Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel has brought an important update regarding injured Shubman Gill. 

Indian captain Rohit Sharma is on parental leave and will miss the first Test of the five-match Test series in Australia. Perth Stadium will host the first Test of the series, starting on November 22. The situation became tougher for the visitors when Shubman Gill got an injury on his left thumb while fielding at the slip during the intra-squad match and didn’t return to the field on the second day of the practice match. 

The 25-year-old Gill scored 28 runs in the simulation match before Navdeep Saini dismissed him. He batted in that game for the second time and scored 42 not out. As most of the Indian batting order is mostly inexperienced, Gill has to play an important role, especially in the absence of the skipper Rohit Sharma. 

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Fingers crossed: Morne Morkel

As Gill has a thumb injury, the reports suggested Gill’s absence in the five-match Test series opener and uncertainty for the second Test of the series, which has been scheduled at Adelaide Oval starting on December 6. However, the Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel is still hopeful about Gill’s participation in the upcoming Perth Test. 

Morkel claimed, “Shubman is improving on a day-by-day basis. We will take a call on the morning of the Test. He played well in the match simulation during the build-up, so fingers crossed.”

Shubman Gill: Key man during the 2020/21 Australia tour

Shubman Gill has scored 1800 runs in 29 Tests (54 innings) with an average of 36.73. The right-handed batter has hit five centuries and seven half-centuries in his Test career. 

Gill toured with the Indian team during the previous Australia tour in the 2020-21 season. He was the fourth most runs-scorer for India and the sixth most runs-scorer in the four-match Test series in that Australia tour. The right-handed batter scored 259 runs in six innings (three Tests) with an average of 51.80, including two half-centuries. He scored 30+ runs in five out of six innings, including the unforgettable 91 runs during the historic successful fourth innings chase in the Gabba Test. 

Former South African pace bowler Morne Morkel said that the Indian bowling setup works by itself and it’s his responsibility to back them as a coach. However, he was appointed as the bowling coach of the Indian national team and recently joined the team in his training session at the Chepauk stadium in Chennai, before the two-match Test series against Bangladesh starting next week as well.

Morne Morkel joins the Indian Team

However, Morkel, who once troubled the Indian batters with his pace and swing, was seen having a long conversation with fast bowler Akash Deep at the nets before joining senior pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj as well. After the two Tests against Bangladesh, India will take on New Zealand and Australia as well.

SEE ALSO: Rohit Sharma comments on his retirement plans after quitting T20Is

Any coaching job with the Indian team comes with high expectations and Morkel is well aware of that. “I know there will be expectations of winning and luckily I have experienced that in my playing days. I can share that knowledge,” Morkel told BCCI videos after donning the Indian jersey for the first time. "When I was setting the plan, I reflected upon that we are so lucky to have quality senior players. The senior players lead the charge. It’s our responsibility to support them. Just give them the right sort of advice we can give. It’s a set-up that sort of operates by itself. So to protect that and better that is the goal,” he added.

"I was blown away about how they went about things" - Morne Morkel

“And, for today that was sort of the goal, to get an understanding about the guys, their strengths, their weaknesses and help a little bit by sitting and planting little seeds for the goals for the upcoming series. And yeah, that’s the sort of conversation we had today. I was blown away about, you know, how they went about things, how professional they were. So that’s that’s a good sign. And, you know, hopefully, we can build on that,” the former South African pacer again shared.

Newly appointed Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir will need to wait for his coaching team to come together since Morne Morkel might not be available for the Sri Lanka tour. The BCCI is almost finalizing a deal with the former South African bowler, who Gambhir recommended himself.

Gambhir and Morkel worked together for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL during 2022 and 2023. Gambhir has picked his own coaching staff, which is expected to include Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate.

T Dilip and new assistants join the squad

Nayar and ten Doeschate will join the team in Sri Lanka as assistant coaches, and T Dilip is likely to stay on as fielding coach. However without Morkel, India will not have a dedicated bowling coach for this tour since former coach Paras Mhambrey’s contract ended after Team India’s T20 World Cup 2024 victory.

Interim bowling coach as Sairaj Bahutule

According to Cricbuzz, Sairaj Bahutule will step in as interim bowling coach. Bahutule a former leg spinner with experience coaching domestic teams like Kerala, Bengal and the Rajasthan Royals (RR), will help the spinners on the subcontinent pitches. India’s squad has several skilled spinners like Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, and Kuldeep Yadav.

The report also notes that Morkel has traveled from Sydney to Pretoria to visit his sick father but is expected to join the team before their next international assignment, a home series against Bangladesh.

Gautam Gambhir will be officially introduced as the new head coach on Monday, July 22, in Mumbai. He will attend a press conference before leaving with the team and support staff for his first assignment.

Team India will head to Sri Lanka on July 22 and start their tour with three ODIs and three T20Is from July 27.

Morne Morkel, the former South African pacer with a wealth of coaching experience, is in the running to become India’s new bowling coach. Gautam Gambhir, the newly appointed head coach of the Indian cricket team, has included Morkel on his list of preferred candidates. Morkel, who previously coached the Pakistan team during last year’s ODI World Cup in India, stepped down from his role months before his contract with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was set to expire.

Gambhir’s recommendation for Morkel

Gautam Gambhir has requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to consider Morkel for the position of bowling coach. Morkel, who has played 86 Tests, 117 ODIs, and 44 T20Is between 2006 and 2018, has been in discussions with the BCCI regarding this role. Now settled in Australia, Morkel has established a strong coaching reputation both internationally and in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Gambhir and Morkel share a productive working relationship from their time at the Lucknow Super Giants IPL team, where Gambhir served as a mentor and Morkel as the bowling coach. Despite changes in the coaching staff, Morkel continued with the franchise under new head coach Justin Langer after Gambhir moved to the Kolkata Knight Riders and former head coach Andy Flower transitioned to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Competitive field for the bowling coach position

The BCCI is considering several candidates for the bowling coach role, including Lakshmipathy Balaji, Vinay Kumar, and potentially Zaheer Khan. Despite the competitive field, Gambhir’s preference for working with familiar individuals makes Morkel a strong contender. Morkel, at 39, has remained engaged with the latest techniques of the game since retiring in 2018.

One of the key considerations for Morkel is the extensive travel required for the job, given his young family and current residence in northern Sydney with his wife Roz Kelly, a sports presenter on Channel 9, and their two children.

If selected, Morkel would replace Paras Mhambrey, who has been successful in the role for the past three years under former head coach Rahul Dravid. In addition to Morkel, Gambhir has also recommended Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate, with the BCCI showing interest in retaining fielding coach T Dilip from Dravid’s regime.

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As the BCCI moves closer to making a final decision, the inclusion of Morne Morkel in India’s coaching setup could bring significant expertise and fresh perspectives to the team.