No Morne Morkel yet as BCCI pick Sairaj Bahutule to travel as Team India bowling coach for Sri Lanka series: Report
Sairaj Bahutule is likely to travel with the Indian team as the side's bowling coach on an interim basis for the Sri Lanka series.
Since Gautam Gambhir's appointment as India's head coach, speculations have been rife over who will fill the other coaching roles in the team management. Earlier this week, it was revealed that Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate, the two former players Gambhir knows well, thanks to their time at the Kolkata Knight Riders this year, will travel with the Indian team as assistant coaches for the series in Sri Lanka. However, there had been no clarity on the bowling coach's role.
It has been widely reported that Gambhir wants Morne Morkel in his coaching team for the national team, but according to Cricbuzz, it looks unlikely the South African will travel to Sri Lanka. It is understood that the former Proteas fast bowler has travelled to South Africa's capital, Pretoria, to attend to his father, who is currently unwell. Instead, Sairaj Bahutule, the former Indian leg-spinning all-rounder, is reportedly travelling with the Indian team.
Bahutule has played two Tests and eight ODIs for India. Since Sri Lankan pitches are likely to be conducive to spin, the board has made the call to pick Bahutule over Troy Cooley, whose name had also been discussed at length. Cooley is currently the bowling coach at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
T Dilip remains the only old face in the overhauled Indian team management, as he retains his role as fielding coach in the travelling contingent for the series in Sri Lanka.
Gambhir to address press conference
Gautam Gambhir, alongside chief selector Ajit Agarkar, is set to address a press conference ahead of Team India's departure on Monday. This will be Gambhir's first media interaction since his appointment as head coach. The conference is expected to focus primarily on the recent Indian team selections for the T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka, which have sparked considerable discussion.
In an unexpected move, Suryakumar Yadav was named the T20I captain despite Hardik Pandya serving as Rohit Sharma's deputy during last month's T20 World Cup. Adding to the intrigue is Shubman Gill's appointment as vice-captain for both ODIs and T20Is.
Moreover, the exclusion of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Abhishek Sharma from the squad for the Sri Lanka series has also been a point of contention. Both players delivered impressive performances in the T20Is against Zimbabwe earlier this July, yet they did not make the cut.
