"Thoroughly enjoyed the leader and the lovely person that you are"- Dinesh Karthik pens a heartfelt note to Eoin Morgan
Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik penned a heartfelt note to his former England captain Eoin Morgan following his retirement from international cricket on Tuesday.
Karthik and Morgan were teammates as part of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise in the IPL for a couple of seasons. Under Morgan's leadership, the KKR side finished as runners-up in IPL 2021, losing to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the pinnacle clash.
Following his poor run of form and struggles with fitness-related issues in recent times, Eoin Morgan decided to call time on his international career on June 28.
Following the announcement from his former IPL teammate, Dinesh Karthik took to his official Twitter handle to applaud Morgan for his phenomenal reign as England captain.
Karthik wrote:
"The man who helped England achieve what they were wishing for years. During the time I spent with you at @KKRiders, I thoroughly enjoyed the leader and the lovely person that you are as well. Best wishes to you, Tara, and the family."
The man who helped England achieve what they were wishing for years. 🏆
During the time I spent with you at @KKRiders, I thoroughly enjoyed the leader and the lovely person that you are as well.
Best wishes to you, Tara and the family
❤️💕 https://t.co/WvObF2DAFx
"I believe now is the right time" - Eoin Morgan explains the rationale behind his international cricket retirement
After leading the England side to the semi-finals of the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup last year in November, Eoin Morgan expressed his desire to captain the side at the 2022 T20 World Cup, which will take place in Australia later this year.
However, the talismanic English player reflected on his performances after the tournament and decided to retire with the team's best interests in mind. Morgan recorded two successive ducks against the Netherlands in his final two games as England captain.
Releasing an official statement in this regard, Eoin Morgan said:
"After careful deliberation and consideration, I am here to announce my retirement from international cricket with immediate effect.
"To call time on what has been without doubt the most enjoyable and rewarding chapter of my career hasn't been an easy decision, but I believe now is the right time to do so, both for me, personally, and for both England white-ball sides I have led to this point."
The southpaw added:
"I have been lucky enough to play in two World Cup winning teams, but I believe the future for England's white-ball teams is brighter than ever. We have more experience, more strength and more depth than ever before. I look forward to watching on with a huge level of excitement.”
Dashing wicket-keeper batter Jos Buttler, who served as vice-captain during Morgan's regime, is the favorite to become the next captain of the England cricket team in white-ball cricket.