Former Kolkata Knight Riders captain Eoin Morgan believes the team will not criticize Andre Russell despite his low scores in the ongoing Indian Premier League. The hard-hitter, who is known to turn matches on the head with his pyrotechnics, has scored only 36 runs in the three games he has played for KKR so far.
Andre Russell scored 35 in the opening match of the season for KKR against Punjab Kings. But he bounced back in the subsequent matches with scores of 0 and 1 against Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Titans respectively.
Also, Nitish Rana didn’t bowl to Russell due to injury concerns.
“I don’t really see that happening. Both, sitting here as a fan and certainly having spent a few years with him. What he adds is huge value. He scored runs last year. Was the leading wicket-taker. The most impressive thing in KKR is that they are not relying on him or Narine, and we should not forget that they are missing their captain as well,” Morgan told Hindustan Times. Said while talking.
The former England captain said that KKR is not solely dependent on the shoulders of its big players. In their previous match against defending champions Gujarat Titans, Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh did well for the team.
“They are not relying only on their big players. It takes away the pressure of expectations, and gives them the time they need. When the side gets going, they rely on the senior players to perform well. When you look at the bottom half of the table, those sides have completely relied on their senior players to do well. That doesn’t happen with KKR.
At the same time, the team’s fast bowler Lockie Ferguson also left Andre Russell behind.
“I don’t think Andre is doing poorly. Look at the last game. He’s tried what he can. Honestly felt good,” Ferguson said at the pre-match press conference.
Kolkata Knight Riders will lock horns against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 18th match of the ongoing Indian Premier League 2023 at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Friday.