Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell should’ve batted higher up the order against Mumbai Indians, feels Sunil Gavaskar

Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar reckons that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) faltered in sending Eoin Morgan and Andre Russell lower down the order against the Mumbai Indians (MI). At the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the Knights fell short by 49 runs, failing to chase down a mammoth 196. After Trent Boult’s maiden in the first over, KKR could never find enough rhythm.

Morgan and Russell came to bat at five and six respectively at a time when the required-rate was well above 12. The duo could only manage a combined tally of 27 runs off 31 balls before perishing to Jasprit Bumrah in the 16th over of the run-chase. Gavaskar was clear-cut in saying that Dinesh Karthik and Nitish Rana shouldn’t have batted higher than Russell and Morgan.

You need to consider that it was a big ground, reveals Sunil Gavaskar

“When you’re chasing a big target, then your big-hitters should come up the order. We saw this even in the Chennai Super Kings chase against Rajasthan Royals, after Sam Curran, MS Dhoni should have come. Likewise, if Andre Russell came at No. 4 and Eoin Morgan at No. 5, then it would have made a difference,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying to AajTak.

“Their coach, Brendon McCullum, it’s very rare to find an aggressive player like him. That’s why it’s surprising that Andre Russell and Eoin Morgan, who are considered T20 Kings, have come to bat lower down the order,” he stated.

“Yes, Nitish Rana’s form last year was good. But you need to consider that it was a big ground and identify whether it will be Rana or Morgan and Russell who can clear it. I think they got their thinking wrong by sending Rana and Karthik ahead of Russell and Morgan,” he added.

It also happened to be KKR’s 20th defeat at the hands of the Mumbai-based franchise and after the loss, they went straight down to the bottom of the points table. KKR’s second match is against David Warner’s Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Saturday, September 26 in Abu Dhabi. SRH also didn’t start well after their 10-run loss at the hands of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).