IPL 2021: "Most ridiculous captaincy I have ever seen" - Gautam Gambhir on Eoin Morgan
Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir made a no-holds-barred attack on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Eoin Morgan on Sunday, calling his captaincy the 'most ridiculous' he has ever seen.
KKR got off to the perfect start in Chennai as mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy sent back Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar in the first two overs of his spell. However, Eoin Morgan inexplicably discontinued Chakravarthy after his 2nd over, bringing on all-rounder Shakib al Hasan from that end instead.
Speaking in Star Sports' mid-innings show, Gautam Gambhir said that had Chakravarthy continued his spell, KKR could have sealed the game in the powerplay itself.
"That is the most ridiculous captaincy I have ever seen. I can't explain that... That is probably the worst, weird kind of captaincy I have ever seen in my life. Someone (Varun Chakravarthy) taking 2 wickets in his 1st over and then doesn't get to bowl the next over. You could have actually sealed the game in the first 6 overs. Had Varun Chakravarthy got his 3rd wicket or had he got Glenn Maxwell out in the first 6 overs, this game would have been over there and then," said Gautam Gambhir.
Eoin Morgan's decision let RCB and new batsman Glenn Maxwell off the hook in the powerplay. Maxwell continued his sublime form and hit a brilliant 49-ball 78. Notably, Maxwell's aggressive knock began with an attack on Shakib al Hasan, who went for 24 runs in his 2 overs.
"Happy an Indian captain didn't make that blunder" - Gautam Gambhir on Eoin Morgan
Continuing his attack on the Englishman, Gautam Gambhir remarked that he was happy that an Indian skipper didn't make such a 'blunder'.
"I'm happy an Indian captain didn't make that blunder because a lot of people would have got their daggers out had an Indian captain made that call," claimed Gautam Gambhir.
Eoin Morgan's call went a long way in deciding the fate of the game. Varun Chakravarthy couldn't get through a well-set Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers when he returned for his second spell. Glenn Maxwell, alongside AB de Villiers, took the RCB to a mammoth total of 204-4 which KKR failed to chase, losing the match by 38 runs.