IPL 2020: KKR’s Eoin Morgan says UAE pitches are bit similar to England at the moment
The England batsman hopes the green top pitches in the UAE will allow him to adapt early as he is available for the tie against Mumbai Indians on Wednesday.
Kolkata Knight Riders made the right kind of noise at the IPL 2020 auction when it bought in names likes Pat Cummins, Eoin Morgan among others after finishing outside play-offs by the virtue of run rate.
Bringing in someone like Eoin, who has past experience of playing for the franchise, seems to be the right call given KKR decided not to retain non-performing overseas batsman Chris Lynn.
While the 34-year-old left-hander is currently in quarantine but KKR’s CEO Venky Mysore confirmed he is available for selection on Wednesday when they face Mumbai Indians in Abu Dhabi.
Speaking to the media during the pre-match press conference on Tuesday, the hard-hitting southpaw felt he should be able to adapt quickly to the pitches in the UAE, after playing in England-Australia ODI series in the UK, as they seemed familiar.
“Yeah I hope. Having watched the game so far there is a tinge more of a green than we thought when coming to UAE so if anything this will continue to change. But they have been more similar to English pitches,” Eoin said.
While Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar earlier stirred controversy by suggesting Eoin — who last year enjoyed World Cup success as England captain — can step in as side’s captain if Dinesh Karthik fails to impress in the early games, the Irishman seemed more excited about proving valuable for the team. He reckoned that if needed he can be the game-changer for KKR to take some burden off proven finisher Andre Russell.
“I know Andre Russell has played that role for a number of years now at Kolkata and he has done it exceptionally well and if I get a go, I think I will be able to aid that,” he said.