IPL 2021 | People underestimate how quick I am: Chris Morris on Sanju Samson denying him single against PBKS
Rajasthan Royals' all-rounder Chris Morris has opened up on Sanju Samson controversially denying him the strike in the last over against Punjab Kings. Morris said that people 'underestimate' how quickly he can run but also defended his skipper over the decision.
Chris Morris's observations come on the back of his rollicking cameo against Delhi Capitals on Thursday which helped the Rajasthan Royals to their first victory of IPL 2021. Coming in at No. 8, the all-rounder struck at 200 to score 36, lifting the team from 104-7 in the 16th over to 150-7 at the end of the chase.
Speaking after the game, Chris Morris said he ran halfway down the wicket in the previous game because he was ready to sacrifice his wicket for his captain. But he also admitted that Samson was striking the ball 'like a dream' and could have hit a six off the last ball.
"I was gonna run back no matter what to sacrifice [my wicket] because Sanju was hitting it so sweetly. People underestimate how quick I am actually, I might have skinny legs but I am quite quick. But, look, Sanju was hitting it like a dream last night so I wouldn't have been too upset if he had hit the last ball for a six," said Chris Morris.
Many believe that Morris sent a message to the RR camp and skipper Samson with his match-winning innings against DC.
Samson was batting on 119 against the Kings and apparently didn't trust Chris Morris to hit a four off the last ball. But the call backfired as Samson couldn't clear the boundary himself and RR lost by mere 4 runs.
I am a slogger that swings at everything he can: Chris Morris
When asked if he's content to bat so low down the order, Chris Morris replied in affirmative, quipping that he isn't being paid to 'bat' but to 'slog'.
"Some guys get paid to bat and some guys get paid to slog, I know which one I am. I am a slogger that swings everything he can. You know, I play so much golf," said Chris Morris.
While reviewing the win, the 33-year-old compared the contrasting bowling sides of both teams. He remarked that the Delhi bowlers were better with their lengths while the Royals used their slower balls to perfection.
"I thought Delhi bowled really well, David played an unplayable knock. T20 cricket anything can happen in the end, fortunately, went our way today. Dew plays a part here at the Wankhede, it does start to skid on. They hit the back of a length a lot better than we did. You saw, how the batsman knicked and skied the balls. We got a few wickets early on, but they hit their lengths way better than we did. But at the same time, our guys are experienced in taking pace off the ball and executed really well today."
Chris Morris signed off by saying that the team took a lot of lessons and confidence from the narrow defeat in the first game and that was reflected in their win over DC.
"In the last game, the close game, we took so much out of that as a team.Chasing 222, we know it was on a good ground but it's quite a daunting task. In fact, for us to get as close as we did on the day, we took a lot out of that first game of ours. So guys took a lot of confidence into the game, but it's quite nice to know that we can win a game basically from anywhere after being down in the dumps. That's T20 cricket. We'll celebrate tonight but then back to the drawing board to fix what we did wrong today," he concluded.