Team India’s new bowling coach Morne Morkel has been “blown away” by the work ethics of the bowlers during his first interaction since taking charge at the conditioning camp in Chennai.

The former South Africa fast bowler — who played 86 Tests, 117 ODIs and 44 T20Is — said his foremost goal is to protect an already well-oiled set-up and make sure the players “feel at home” despite the weight of expectations.

“Coming here, this is a set-up that operates by itself,” Morkel said during an interaction on bcci.tv.

“To protect that and make it better in small ways is going to be the goal.

“When I was sitting in the plane, I reflected that we are so lucky to have quality senior players and they will lead the charge. Our responsibility is to support them and give them the best sort of advice that we can give.”

Morkel, who replaces Paras Mhambrey, will begin his stint with the first Test against Bangladesh from September 19.

Morkel said it was important for him to connect with the players and make them feel secure to get the best out of them.

“I have played a lot against some of the players, I have seen and connected a little bit with some of the guys during the IPL. To be now in the camp and form friendships and relationships is very important,” he said after the session on Friday.

Morkel couldn’t be part of head coach Gautam Gambhir’s support staff for the
Sri Lanka tour as he was in South Africa owing to personal reasons.

“Today (Friday)’s goal was to get an understanding of the guys, their strengths and weaknesses, and help them with planting those seeds for goals for the upcoming series.

“That’s the sort of conversation we had today. And the guys did really well. I was blown away by how they went about things, how professional they were. So that’s a good sign and, hopefully, we can build on that.

“It’s one thing to have talent and skill but how can you make those guys feel welcome in an intimidating environment… India playing in the blue shirt is a lot of expectations, so for me, having the experience, going through that, and passing that sort of knowledge and helping them settle in and feel at home (is important).”

“As soon as a player has that comfort and feel that they belong, that’s when the
performance comes. So it’s about looking after that and... from there obviously upskill them and get them up to the standard.”

For the first Test against Bangladesh, the selectors have picked four pacers: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep and Yash Dayal, the latter being the sole left-arm bowling option. The duo performed impressively in the first round of the Duleep Trophy and Dayal was rewarded with a maiden call-up.

Looking back on his appointment, Morkel said his father was the first person he shared the news with.

“It was quite a special moment for me. I enjoyed it for about five to seven minutes with myself and then obviously shared it with the family. The first thing I did was to phone my dad first. I spoke to him about it. I didn’t go to my wife. Normally, they say go to your wife first. But I spoke to my dad.

“I feel ready to take up this challenge. I understand and know that there will always be expectations of winning. Luckily, I have experienced that in my playing days and I can share that knowledge.”