Eoin Morgan looking forward to learning leadership qualities from Dinesh Karthik; hails KKR as 'best-run' IPL franchise
England limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan has expressed a keen desire to learn essential leadership qualities from current Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Dinesh Karthik. In an exclusive interview posted on the KKR website, Morgan also termed two-time IPL winners KKR as the 'best-run' team in the league.
The 2019 WC-winning captain, Morgan was bought by KKR for ₹5.25 crore in the 2019 December auction held in Kolkata. This will be Morgan's second stint with the IPL franchise, having been part of their squad from 2011 to 2013, including the winning stint in 2012.
Morgan spoke on the possible learnings from Karthik, whom he keeps on a very high pedestal as far as captaincy goes. For Morgan, learning the leadership dynamics in Indian conditions is something that he is looking forward to while working with Karthik.
"I've spoken to DK a lot and I met up with him just before Christmas when I was out in Mumbai. He’s a fantastic guy, a great cricketer and I'm looking forward to helping him in whatever way I can. While I’m here to help, I also want to learn as much as I can from him. There are a lot of dynamics about being a captain when you’re playing in India that I don’t know about, I’ll be picking his brain the whole time. I’ll naturally be myself and try to give as much as I can just like the rest of the international players."
Morgan also termed KKR as one of the best sides of the tournament along with Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. He showered admiration on the entire staff of KKR, right from the owners to the young players. He also praised the planning and the execution of the franchise which helped them earn the success they did in the early half of the last decade.
However, Morgan seemed most impressed by KKR's policy of retaining the core group of players which helped the team build a strong foundation each year.
"I was extremely excited, particularly going back to Kolkata. I had three seasons there that I thoroughly enjoyed before. They’re one of the best run teams, everything from the owners right down to the young players. I like the planning, and when you look at the IPL as a whole since the very beginning, they are one of three teams that has had the most success and it's easy to see why they have. The level of consistency that they show and I suppose the belief in retaining that group of core players."
In 50 IPL matches, Morgan has scored 854 runs including four fifties. His runs have come at a healthy strike-rate of 121.13.