Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach Brendon Mccullum has admitted that Eoin Morgan has captained the side really well tactically, but said the team would definitely want some more runs from him in the ongoing IPL 2021.
Mccullum’s comments came after Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) five-wicket loss against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their last game in the ongoing IPL 2021 on Friday, October 1, in Dubai.
Morgan has so far managed just 109 runs in 12 games in the ongoing IPL 14. The left-hander was dismissed for just 2 runs in the very crucial game against PBKS, as the KKR would have come an inch closer to the playoffs if they had won the match on Friday. The KKR is now ranked 4th in the points table with 10 points.
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McCullum said during a virtual post-match press conference: “Morgan is one of our senior players and he is one of our international batters. As captain also, in his own head he would have liked to contribute a lot more runs. Actually, I think he has captained the side really well tactically.”
The coach continued, “We want some more runs from him no doubt in that, you need runs from your overseas batters. Look, I am confident that he will come right.”
On the KKR v PBKS game, McCullum noted: “We played a great game, Punjab Kings deserved to win because they seized the key moments. I still felt we had a chance in the game, with two overs to go, Punjab Kings were in the score exactly we were in our innings. It was touch and go, small margins in this game and it did not go our way against Punjab.”
Praising Venkatesh Iyer, who scored 67 runs and scalped one wicket against PBKS, the KKR head coach said: “He is definitely an all-rounder. It is not just his cricketing ability; it is his mindset and cricketing brain. He has a great perspective on the sport and he is a guy with huge ambitions, he has a great future as a genuine all-rounder. I think he is one of those cricketers who is going to get better and better. I think what he has done so far shows he belongs at this level.”
On the controversial catch of KL Rahul that was given not-out in the penultimate over, McCullum said:
“We have played enough cricket to know that they can go either way. If they go your way, you feel content with it and if it goes the other side, you understand it and wish it had gone your way. I certainly do not think that was the losing or winning of the game.”
He signed off by saying, “That was a fabulous effort by Rahul Tripathi. We dropped a few catches but a lot of them were difficult. That is one area we can improve.”
KKR will next take on Sunrisers Hyderabad on October 3 in Dubai in the ongoing IPL 2021.
(With ANI Inputs)
