‘A job with no room for error’ – Albie Morkel weighs in on brother Morne’s appointment as India’s bowling coach

Albie Morkel and Morne Morkel. (Source – Twitter/X)

Morne Morkel was appointed as India’s new bowling coach last week and he will reunite with Gautam Gambhir, who started his tenure as India’s head coach in Sri Lanka in July. Albie Morkel recently shared his views on his younger brother’s appointment to the prestigious role, which was performed by the likes of Bharat Arun and Paras Mhambrey in the recent past.

Albie talked about the pressure that comes along with the honour of being a part of the Indian coaching setup. The former South African all-rounder said that there is very little margin for error in the role and hoped that Morne would be able to earn the trust of his players, enabling them to maximise their potential with time.

Also Read: Morne Morkel appointed India men’s bowling coach

“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 told Mid-day.

Albie said that the former South African speedster would love working with Jasprit Bumrah, who he acknowledged as the best all-format bowler in world cricket.

“Once again, I don’t know what his exact thoughts would be (on Bumrah), but Jasprit is the best all-format bowler in the world. He is very special and I’m sure Morne would love to work with him.”

Also Read: ‘Toughest bowler I ever faced’ – Gautam Gambhir’s comments on Morne Morkel resurface after appointment as bowling coach

Morne has played 86 Tests, 117 ODIs, and 44 T20Is for the Proteas, bagging 309, 188, and 47 wickets, respectively. He has also played 70 IPL games and scaled 77 wickets. After retiring from the sport in 2018, the 39-year-old ventured into coaching and has the experience of working with Pakistan’s bowling unit. His new assignment with the Indian team will be challenging but the Vereeniging-born will be up and ready to showcase his coaching expertise.