Morne Morkel and Ryan ten Doeschate during a Team India training session both face possible dismissal after Asia Cup 2025.
It is reported that the Board of Control for Cricket in India is planning a significant shake-up in the coaching staff following a disappointing run of performances from the Indian team in Test cricket. According to the MyKhel report, bowling coach Morne Morkel and assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate will be shown the door following the Asia Cup in 2025.
Their appointments, initially backed by head coach Gautam Gambhir, are now under serious review, with the BCCI concerned about the stagnation in India's bowling attack and overall team performance in red-ball cricket.
Their lackluster performances and contributions to the Indian cricket team, particularly in Test matches, may have been the main factors in the BCCI's decision.
These decisions come despite a backdrop of overall poor performance in the longest format of the game, with the Indian Test side suffering significant defeats in previous series, including a 0-3 home whitewash against New Zealand and a 1-3 loss to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Not much has changed in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, which has increased the BCCI's discontent with the coaching staff in addition to Morkel and ten Doeschate.
Morne Morkel, a former fast bowler from South Africa, has been proved useless in developing a proper pace attack in India. One of the main charges leveled against him is that he has failed to bring any impressive fast bowling talent under his wing.
The recent controversial selection of Anshul Kamboj over Prasidh Krishna for the Manchester Test, despite Kamboj's sub-par pace and fitness issues, has reportedly triggered dissatisfaction within the BCCI. India's bitter Test record under Morkel, including home defeats of New Zealand (0-3) and away losses to Australia (1-3), has further strengthened the perception within the board that rather than improving, the bowling department has regressed.
Even Ryan ten Doeschate's role as assistant coach and fielding consultant comes under the scanner. While there is promise in his partnership with Gambhir during their times together at the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, his impact on the national team was less convincing.
Those within the BCCI have observed that ten Doeschate has not offered anything beneficial toward fielding standards or team strategy, raising doubts about the relevance of his role going forward. Although Gambhir has the board's backing so far, his handpicked support staff may not last beyond the Asia Cup, which is a cut-off point for performance evaluations internally.
While Morkel and ten Doeschate might be facing elimination from the BCCI, sources also suggest a rethink over the position of Ajit Agarkar as chief selector and his panel, especially Shiv Sundar Das.
However, the final call on these changes is expected to be announced post-Asia Cup, just ahead of India taking on the West Indies in their next Test series. The BCCI appears to be signaling a broader intent to reset the coaching structure to improve red-ball performances going into the next WTC cycle.
