Chennai: Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Goutam Gambhir took Eoin Morgan’s captaincy to bits after the two-time champions were thrashed by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.
Gambhir who led KKR to two IPL titles during his cricketing days reckoned that Morgan’s decision to take Varun Chakravarthy off the bowling attack after his brilliant first over is the ‘worse, weird kind of captaincy’ he has ever seen in his life.
“Virat Kohli was a big wicket, no doubt about it. But that has to be the weirdest kind of captaincy I have ever seen in my life. Someone taking two wickets in the first over, and then does not get to bowl the next one,” Gambhir said.
The former KKR skipper reckoned that if Morgan had allowed Chakravarthy to bowl his second over, he might have got rid of Maxwell, and the game would have been done and dusted then and there.
“Probably when you know the in-form batter is in. You could have probably seen the game in the first six overs, had Varun Chakravarthy had picked the third wicket or dismissed Glenn Maxwell. This game could have been over there and then. Yes, AB de Villiers was there, but it would have put pressure on him as well,” Gambhir further said.
The former India opener added that he is glad the ‘blunder’ was not made by an Indian captain, as it would have led to massive criticism. “I am happy that an Indian captain did not make this blunder. Because a lot of people would have actually got their daggers out had an Indian captain made this call.
“That was probably the most ridiculous captaincy I have ever seen. I can’t explain that. Because there is no terminology for it – when someone has taken two wickets, and an in-form batter is in and you take off your wicket-taking option in the next over,” he signed off.
