Morne Morkel was appointed as India’s bowling coach in September 2024. Following their dominant 3-0 whitewash of England in the recently concluded home ODI series, the Indian team enters the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 as strong favorites.
However, their prospects took a hit with the news that Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury. Bumrah’s absence led to the inclusion of the relatively inexperienced Harshit Rana, who has played just three ODIs so far.
India will head into the tournament with an unusual mix of five spinners and only three pacers, a decision that has sparked some debate.
Placed in Group B, India will start their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign against Bangladesh on February 20 in Dubai, followed by clashes with arch-rivals Pakistan and New Zealand on February 23 and March 2, respectively, at the same venue.
Just ahead of their Champions Trophy opener on Thursday in Dubai, India has suffered yet another significant blow.
India bowling coach Morne Morkel flies home due to family emergency
According to a report by India Today, India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel had to urgently leave Dubai due to a family emergency. Morkel departed for South Africa on Monday, February 17, after receiving the news of his father Alberts’ passing. However, this has yet to be officially confirmed by either the board or Morkel himself.
Morkel was appointed as India’s bowling coach in September 2024. Under his guidance, India’s bowling has been outstanding, with the team putting up strong performances in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25, particularly against Australia.
With Mohammed Shami being the only experienced fast bowler in the lineup, Morkel’s presence would have been invaluable in mentoring young fast bowlers like Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana for the crucial ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
India’s squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025:
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (Vc), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (Wk), Rishabh Pant (Wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy.