Truth be told, when Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bagged England's World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan at the auction in December last year, it seemed that the franchise is looking at him as the new leadership candidate, replacing Dinesh Karthik, under whom the team had endured two consecutive unsuccessful IPL campaigns.
And so, it did come as a surprise when KKR retained Karthik at the helm, keeping faith on him ahead of the league's 13th edition, which is currently under suspension because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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For Morgan, though, the feeling is not of missing out on a captaincy opportunity, it is one of excitement to be back at the franchise set-up that he has previously served in the league.
"I’ve spoken to DK a lot and I met up with him just before Christmas when I was out in Mumbai. He’s a fantastic guy, a great cricketer and I’m looking forward to helping him in whatever way I can," the 33-year-old told KKR in a video posted for fans by the franchise over social media.
"While I’m here to help, I also want to learn as much as I can from him. There are a lot of dynamics about being a captain when you’re playing in India that I don’t know about, I’ll be picking his brain the whole time."
KKR has also brought in former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum as head coach for the season. "I’m very lucky to be able to call him one of my good mates," said Morgan about McCullum. "Over the years, we’ve gotten to know each other really well. Actually, our relationship first blossomed at Kolkata, where the two of us played together."
"I think his contribution not only to New Zealand cricket but to world cricket really took the front in 2015 with their campaign - throughout the 2015 World Cup. They really did, I suppose, transform the fate of a nation and the hope of a nation in the way that they played."
"They played aggressive, positive cricket but also in a way that wasn’t in your face the whole time," he added. "It was really good to watch, it created a huge amount of attraction and I think majority of the time actually the way that they play and the manner that they play overlooks the skill level that they produce."
"And I think Baz is the reason for that turn around. I think he has had a huge input in the way they’ve played and in all formats as well not just white ball."
Morgan also believes it would feel fascinating to come out of isolation and resume duties on the field whenever the situation allows him to.
"It’s going to be fascinating to see how and when we get to play and how the competition lines up," he said. "Because everybody is going to come out of isolation extremely excited, rearing to go, batting, bowling, fielding the whole lot."
(Inputs from IANS)
