Collage image.© X (Twitter)
South African pace great Morne Morkel seems to be enjoying his time in the India dressing room. Now overseeing a battery of exciting fast bowlers, Morkel's first game as India's bowling coach saw India skittle out Bangladesh for just 149 in the first innings. Out of the ten wickets, eight were taken by pacers. Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah bagged four wickets, while Mohammed Siraj and newcomer Akash Deep chipped in with two each. Morkel was in high spirits, leading to fans comparing it to his tenure as Pakistan's bowling coach.
Morkel could be seen celebrating and clapping as Akash Deep struck two wickets in two balls during the Bangladesh first innings. Fans jumped on the brigade, choosing to compare Morkel's elation with a less happy picture from his time in the Pakistan dugout.
Morkel had served as Pakistan's bowling coach during the 2023 Cricket World Cup. However, following Pakistan's failure to qualify for the semi-finals of the World Cup, Morkel resigned as coach six weeks before his contract was set to end.
— Gambhir (@Karn975) September 20, 2024
Morne Morkel is proud of the effort of Akash Deep pic.twitter.com/1cBQhijYfp
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) September 20, 2024
Morne Morkel is a happy man pic.twitter.com/FJE7s7aQSI
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) September 20, 2024
— Johns (@JohnyBravo183) September 20, 2024
New India head coach Gautam Gambhir brought in Morkel as India's bowling coach after his appointment. Gambhir had earlier hailed Morkel as the fiercest bowler he had ever faced.
India vs Bangladesh, 1st Test Day 3: As it happened
After India's comprehensive bowling performance helped them earn a 227-run lead, Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill hit centuries to help India set a target of 515 for Bangladesh.
Gill remained unbeaten on 119, while Pant made 109 to take India to 287/4 in 64 overs, before Rohit Sharma called the declaration.
Earlier, India had piled on 376 in the first innings, thanks largely to a ton by R Ashwin in his home ground and 86 by Ravindra Jadeja.
This is India's first Test match after the five-match series against England at home in February-March 2025.