DC v KKR Preview: “Looking forward to contributing in the team’s success,” says Delhi Capitals’ all-rounder Chris Morris
New Delhi, 29 March 2019: With a win and a loss each in their first two matches, JSW and GMR co-owned franchise, Delhi Capitals will be up against the three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders in their third match of the IPL 2019 season. The two teams will lock horns on Saturday, 30th March 2019 here at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, and South African all-rounder Chris Morris hopes that he will get to play a part in his team’s upcoming encounter.
The 31-year-old South African, with 56 wickets to his name in 52 IPL matches, has been one of the most consistent all-rounders in the tournament’s history. Morris spoke to the media before the Delhi Capitals’ match against KKR, and said that he is looking forward to helping his team. “I am very much looking forward to contributing as an all-rounder for the Delhi Capitals. Bowling at the death is something that I look forward to doing, and over the years bowling quick-fire yorkers is something that I have sticked to. Fielding is also an aspect of my game that I focus on, and I hope to help the team score some quick-fire runs at the death as well,” said Morris.
Asked if his own inclusion in the team will affect Rishabh Pant’s position in the batting order, Morris said, “Rishabh is going to play the way he plays regardless of the batting position. That’s his natural game and honestly the position he bats doesn’t really matter in the T20 game because he has the ability to bat anywhere in the order. At the end of day, my role is to be a hard-hitter and hopefully score runs at the death.”
Morris was also asked to compare the Kotla pitch to that of the previous season and the all-rounder said that he thinks it is a bit slower. “I think the biggest difference that I have seen this year is that the pitch is a bit slower. The ball is turning and stopping a bit, that’s probably been the biggest change that I can notice. Apart from that the conditions are perfect for cricket and I hope to be a part of a good game tomorrow,” he said.
Morris also spoke on the challenge of bowling to someone with the ability of KKR’s all-rounder Andre Russell. He said, “Andre is an absolute genius and he hits the ball a long way. But you know at the end of the day, I think it’s going to be a case of ‘he misses and I hit’. I don’t want to give away too many tactics, but when you are up against such a great hitter, you have to trust your training. I have practiced my whole career bowling bouncers, slower balls, yorkers, so definitely I am going to trust my instinct and hope he makes a mistake.”
The South African was also asked to compare himself to the hard-hitting Russell. “We (Andre and himself) do have similar roles in our respective teams, but he bats a bit higher in the batting order. So he has that added responsibility to contribute more with the bat. But we both have been picked to do the same thing - bowling fast and hitting sixes. It is similar, but not just the same.”
In last season’s corresponding fixture, it was the Delhi Capitals who came out on top as they defeated the Kolkata Knight Riders by 55 runs. Batting first, the Capitals scored 219/4, helped by fifties from captain Shreyas Iyer (93* off 40 balls) and Prithvi Shaw (62 off 44 balls). In response, KKR could only manage 164/9 in their 20 overs as Trent Boult, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan and Glenn Maxwell all picked up 2 wickets each for the Capitals.
The two teams have faced each other on 22 occasions in IPL history, with KKR leading with 13 victories to their name, while Delhi have only won 8 matches, with one match being a No-Result.
Delhi Capitals’ fans can book their tickets for all the stands, including the Corporate Boxes, Platinum Gallery and The Hill 'A' Super Hospitality, through the official website of the Delhi Capitals at https://www.delhicapitals.in/buy-tickets