"Look at Rishabh Pant now, he’s a prominent international star"- Eoin Morgan expects The Hundred to unearth talent like the IPL
Eoin Morgan reckons The Hundred will provide a brilliant platform for English talent akin to what the IPL did to Indian cricket. Morgan highlighted how youngsters like Rishabh Pant became household names after getting exposure in the IPL.
The men's edition of The Hundred starts tomorrow. Meanwhile, the women's edition of The Hundred starts today with the Oval Invincibles taking on the Manchester Originals.
Eoin Morgan stated that good performances in The Hundred could be the perfect launching pad for individuals to break into the international circuit. Speaking in an interview with Easterneye.biz, Morgan, who is set to captain the London Spirit, said:
"I think the Hundred could create a platform that could springboard somebody right into international cricket. We could sit here all day and talk about the names that the IPL has produced – say three-four years ago, Rishabh Pant was a young kid coming through… it's very exciting to watch. Looking at him now, he’s a prominent international star."
Morgan further explained how tournaments like the IPL, the Big Bash League and the Caribbean Premier League test players' nerves in pressure situations. He feels this will help them adapt to international cricket much quicker.
"We’ve seen it at the IPL, in the Big Bash and in the CPL [Caribbean Premier League]. It makes superstars out of people as those platforms test them with pressure and how they deal with it and prepare them really well for international cricket."
We need it more than the format needs us: Eoin Morgan
With various talents coming through, Eoin Morgan believes England needs a competition like The Hundred where upcoming youngsters can showcase their skills at the top level.
Morgan further pointed out how a second-string English side recently defeated Pakistan 3-0 in an ODI series, showcasing England's depth and strength in their limited-overs setup.
"We need it (The Hundred competition) more than the format needs us, simply because of the quality of cricketers that we have now in the country. It was unbelievable what we witnessed in the one-day series against Pakistan, where 15 of our squad members went into isolation and we almost had to pick a second-string team," said Morgan.
"We won 3-0 and all the performances were exceptional, which shows the real strength and depth in English cricket at the moment," added Morgan.
Eoin Morgan is also excited to work with Shane Warne, the head coach of the London Spirit. The England skipper branded Warne as someone who has 'one of the best cricket brains in the world'.