Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Eoin Morgan is having a below-average IPL season with the bat. He has scored only 17 runs in the last four innings, and 109 runs overall with an average of 10.90 and strike rate of 100.92.
Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra feels now is the time for KKR to take the tough call and replace Morgan as captain of the team. He gave the example of Gautam Gambhir who volunteered to sit out despite being captain after going through a tough phase with the bat in IPL 2014.
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“Kolkata, I request you with folded hands: I am giving you two or three options. Firstly, change the captain, you have done it before and there's no shame in it. I was talking to Gautam recently. He talked about the 2014 season, saying he couldn't score any runs in the first three games so he went to the coach and said, ‘I am not able to do it, let me just sit out because I am not contributing’,” Chopra said.
Morgan being an overseas player is making his case worse as he's taking up a spot from the four-overseas quota in the playing eleven. Chopra said KKR could bring in Shakib Al Hasan in place of Morgan.
“Morgan would have thought the same because it's been 11 innings and he's averaging 10. We are not seeing any great decisions in captaincy in your team selections and all of that either. So maybe it's time to bring Shakib Al Hasan in place of Morgan,” he said.
“You can't play Seifert if you are not getting him to bat in the top-order. So replace him with Ben Cutting. Do something because you don't have Lockie so you've got to have at least five bowlers. Five bowlers plus Venkatesh Iyer is alright but four bowlers plus Venkatesh Iyer? It just doesn't make sense my friend. I honestly don't get how you can expect so much from him. He's doing well but he is not Superman,” he added.
Chopra further said that KKR can't pick up too many batters in the side which doesn't provide a good balance to the side. He added that KKR management can take the call to include Shakib and Ben Cutting both in the playing eleven.
“When you write those names on the sheet, please see how many bowlers there are because there's no point in playing this much batting. You said you don't have the balance without Russell but you also said that there's a specific role for Ben Cutting.
"There won't be a better role than this. At least play him if you don't like Shakib. In fact, play Shakib too and tell Eoin Morgan, 'it's not working out'. It happens to everyone... but tends to hurt a little more if it's an overseas captain,” he signed off on his Youtube Channel.
