Former England skipper Eoin Morgan feels CSK skipper MS Dhoni might consider moving up the order only after his side reaches a playoff. He also reckons Kolkata Knight Riders’ all-rounder Andre Russell will play all the matches irrespective of his form in the league.
MS Dhoni looked in exceptional touch against Gujarat Titans (14* off 7 balls) and Lucknow Super Giants (12 off 3 balls) in the small cameos he played at the end of the innings for the four-time champions. The CSK skipper was equally phenomenal against Rajasthan Royals.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, ahead of Chennai Super Kings clash against RR, the cricket-turned-commentator–Eoin Morgan said that Dhoni would continue to play in the batting position as he would not promote himself up the order, but reckons he might do that in different circumstances on important games like playoffs.
“Their batting lineup is probably as strong as it’s going to be at the moment. I know he likes to put himself down the order, otherwise, we would’ve seen him promoting himself (by now). I don’t envisage him batting higher than normal at the moment. Potentially, in the playoffs, in different circumstances, he might. But I don’t see it right now. He’s the best judge of himself, and if he doesn’t feel that, it isn’t the best time,” Eoin Morgan said.
On the 200th match as skipper, Dhoni played brilliantly well to pull back his team from the precarious situation when they were at 113/6. He remained unbeaten on 32 off just 17 balls. With 21 runs to chase in the final over, MS Dhoni looked at his absolute best to score back-to-back sixes, to give them a chance, before Sandeep Sharma nailed the yorkers in the final three balls to help Rajasthan Royals to register their third victory from four games.
Andre Russell Adds A Huge Amount Of Value – Eoin Morgan
The former Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Morgan feels the two-time champions will continue to back the underperforming Andre Russell. Morgan reiterated that the West Indies all-rounder was one of the best performers for KKR in IPL 2022, as he picked important wickets in crucial moments of the game.
Besides, Russell has scored only 36 runs from the three games and is yet to bowl a single over for the Nitish Rana-led side in the ongoing season.
“I don’t see that happening. Both, sitting here as a fan and certainly having spent a couple of years alongside him. What he adds is a huge amount of value. He scored runs last year. He was their leading wicket-taker. One of the most impressive things in KKR right now is they are not relying on him, or Narine, and we shouldn’t forget that they’re missing their captain as well,” Eoin Morgan concluded.
The two-time champions have done well despite Andre Russell‘s dip in form. KKR will look to maintain their winning momentum when they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 14.