IPL 2021: KKR skipper Eoin Morgan admits poor form is a concern

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Eoin Morgan is considered one of the most aggressive players in the shortest format of the game. However, the same has not reflected in his performances for the Kolkata-based franchise in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. Morgan has struggled to score freely, although the team is surging along in its quest for supremacy. The English cricketer however backed himself to rediscover form in the coming matches, when interacting with the media following KKR’s triumph in an IPL 2021 encounter against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Sunday.

“Have been through stages like this in my career”

“Absolutely. I am short of runs in this phase of the tournament, the whole tournament in general. Am very lucky to be in a position where I have been through stages like this in my career. I think the longer you go without contributing a significant score, the closer you are to actually contributing. And that’s coming from experience. We were here two nights ago and the ball seemed to come onto the bat. Yes it swings early in the Powerplay and a little bit of nip, which is expected here in Dubai, but today was a little bit sluggish. Obviously the wicket is one thing, you need to adapt to conditions, bowl well, field well, and we did that incredibly well,” said Morgan.

“The purpose of T20 cricket is to be our most entertaining format. It is very appealing to the wider audience of sorts fans around the world. I think an element of pure cricket was in the wicket today. If bowlers bowled in the right area, they got their due reward. The batsmen had to work a little bit harder. I think sometimes in T20 it is nice to have that element to give an insight into the real game of cricket as opposed to the ball flying everywhere and everything in the batsmen’s favour,” added the KKR skipper.

“Depth of the squad to be able to call Shakib is a huge luxury”

Morgan termed KKR’s ability to call upon the services of Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan as a massive luxury.

“The wicket played slower than we thought, than the wicket two nights ago. It swings early in the powerplay in these conditions, but it was sluggish. We needed to bowl and field well and we did. Shubman played extremely well and led the chase. The depth of the squad to be able to call Shakib is a huge luxury, so he has had a huge impact. We didn’t know it wouldn’t be played in India, and we have done well in the conditions and adapted well. We are focussed on playing good cricket and we’ve done that in the last three weeks. The game plan has had a good impact in the dressing room and guys are putting their hands up. We have done well to adapt to the slow conditions and I’m happy with that,” stated the English cricketer.

Williamson blamed an inability to stitch more partnerships as a vital factor behind the defeat.

“I think if we got closer to the 150-mark, might have been par. We did have our chances to squeeze the scoring but it was always going to be tough with such a low score. Haven’t been able to identify the right score all season. We need to go back to the drawing board and re-assess things. We could have built more partnerships. Unfortunately we were 10-15 short of what would have been a competitive score. He (Malik) has been bowling really quick in the nets and it’s really nice for him to get an opportunity today. Obviously we’re out of the competition, so it’s a chance for some other boys to also get on the park,” stated the SRH skipper.