IPL 2018: Gautam Gambhir calls Chris Morris a game changer; wants to bat him up

Delhi Daredevils will be led by Gambhir this year.

Chris Morris | AFP

South African all-rounder Chris Morris is an asset for the Delhi Daredevils and if utilized wisely, he can give desirable returns.

The 30-year-old had scored runs with a strike rate of 163.82 and an average of 30.80 last year for Delhi. However, the cricket pundits continuously complained about not playing him up in the batting order.

Delhi Daredevils' newly-appointed skipper Gautam Gambhir has clarified his plans for Morris. Comparing the South African all-rounder with Andre Russell, Gambhir talked about their abilities. The India cricketer has managed Russell during captaincy stretch for his former franchise Kolkata Knight Riders.

The Delhi captain talked about Morris on the sidelines of Star Sports' Game Plan. "Morris is a quality all-rounder and a better and much quicker bowler than Russell. Russell is a little bit of a better batsman, he can change the game more consistently with the bat. But with Morris, I felt he has batted lower than he should have. He hasn’t had enough opportunity," Gambhir said.

"But for a game changer to make a change in the game you need to give him enough opportunity as well. At times we have pushed Russell to bat at number 3 and 4 depending on what the situation is. If you have wickets in hand, you rather push someone after the 10 overs.

"Delhi have played him at number 6-7, which is lower than where he should be batting at because he’s a proper batsman. Moreover, he can also bowl in the powerplay and in the last 4 overs," he added.

Rajat Bhatia, Gambhir's KKR and Delhi teammate, stated that Gambhir is the perfect man to guide a newly shaped Delhi team.

"One thing I can assure you, the only guy who can bring IPL trophy to Delhi is the guy sitting next to me. The best part about his captaincy is that even though he is not scoring runs he is not going to leave you.

"He will still back you. I have seen captains leave their captaincy in the middle of IPL because they are not getting runs but he is not one of them," said Bhatia.

 
 

By Sihyeu Singh - 19 Mar, 2018

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