MS Dhoni not playing International cricket, still performing better than Eoin Morgan: Gautam Gambhir

MS Dhoni made his presence felt in Qualifier 1 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 against Delhi Capitals (DC), with a fantastic performance.

MS Dhoni can be unstoppable when he gets going. (Image Credit: Twitter)
By Arnab Mukherji | Oct 15, 2021 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir was critical of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Eoin Morgan’s performances in the ongoing UAE leg of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. Gambhir is considered the most successful captain in the history of the Kolkata-based franchise, making his presence felt during the tenure through consistent success. While Morgan has managed to lead KKR on to the final of the 2021 edition where they will face Chennai Super Kings (CSK), his personal form has left much to be desired. CSK skipper MS Dhoni has been a better contributor despite having announced his retirement from international cricket.

“Comparing their forms is very wrong in itself because MS Dhoni has retired from international cricket and the second player is the captain of his national team. You should not compare apples with oranges. MS Dhoni hasn’t played international cricket for so long and it’s acceptable if he’s not in form or is contributing less,” said Gambhir on ESPN Cricinfo.

“But on the other hand, Morgan is playing international cricket. Still, if you look at their performances, MS Dhoni has performed better than Morgan even with the bat. Moreover, Dhoni also keeps wickets and captains, so there are three departments. Morgan has only two things – captaincy and batting, where one has been extremely bad. So, it’s not fair to compare MS and Morgan’s form,” he added.

Morgan admits poor form is a concern

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 IPL 2021. The English cricketer however backed himself to rediscover form, during a recent media interaction.

“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.





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