Morne Morkel’s goal as India’s bowling coach – ‘Defending a set that works by itself’

“Coming here, this is a system that works on its own,” Morkel told bcci.tv. “Protecting that and making it better in small ways will be the goal.

“When I sat on the plane, I showed that we are lucky to have players of the highest quality and they will lead this team. Our job is to support them and give them the best advice we can give them.

“I played a lot with some players, I saw that I connected a little with other guys during the IPL,” he said. “Being in camp now and making friends and relationships is very important.

“The aim of today was to get an understanding of the lads, their strengths and their weaknesses, and help them plant those goals for the upcoming series. That’s the kind of conversation we had today. And the lads did really well. I was blown away by the way they went about things, how professional they were and that’s a good sign too , hopefully, we can build on that.

“It’s one thing to have talent and skill but how do you make those guys feel welcome in a scary place… India playing in the green shirt is an expectation, so for me, having the experience, dealing with that, and passing that on. that kind of knowledge and helping them settle in and feel at home [is important].”

“Once a player gets that freedom and feels like they belong, that’s where the game comes in. So it’s about taking care of that and … from there it’s clear that you develop them and bring them to the level.

Speaking about his appointment, Morkel said his father was the first person he told him about this news.

“That’s right [the appointment] it was a special time for me. I enjoyed it myself for about five to seven minutes and obviously shared it with the family. The first thing she did was to call my father first. I talked to him about it. I didn’t go to my wife. They usually say go to your wife first. But I talked to my father.

“I feel ready to face this challenge. I understand and know that there will always be an expectation to win. Fortunately, I have seen that in my playing days and I can share that knowledge.”