Eoin Morgan - MOR’GUNNED’ Sunrisers

Remember that Irish guy, with glittering blue eyes? Eyes that lit up the moment it saw an opportunity to score or catch a ball? Yes, that Irish guy who later on went on to don the England jersey and at the moment is basking in the purples of KKR in IPL 2013? 

Yes, Eoin Morgan got a packed Eden Gardens to its feet with an array of strokes that got even the opposition’s appreciation. Improvisation, proper cricketing strokes and the free flow of the bat; Morgan displayed it all in his 21 ball 47 that helped the Knights get to a 180-plus score. 

Morgan in his casual self, bearing and welcoming smile spoke exclusively to IPLT20.com after the match. In his chat, he opens up about his rich vein of form, his action packed innings of 47 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad and his love for the people of Kolkata and the Eden Gardens. 

You seem to have hit a purple patch for the Knights this season.

I would not quite call it a purple patch, but I think I am striking it quite well and I am cashing in which is quite nice. It was great to get in there and get some shots going. We were in a pretty similar situation last year where we lost two games on the trot and came back stronger. Such was the case today as well, we got a win under our belt and we look to get the momentum going in the games to come.

There seems to be a plan of giving you more games this year than the previous years.

Obviously last year, trying to get into a winning side was very difficult. I hope I get to play as many games as possible for KKR this year. Hopefully I can continue to score in the opportunities I get and look to contribute towards the side’s success.

Was it a plan to get you ahead of a Yusuf Pathan after the fall of Gambhir’s wicket?

Yes it was a plan and we had thought about it in our meets. We had this thing in our mind to go on with the left hand-right hand combination which has worked for us and looked to do the same in this game as well. It worked quite fine today and hopefully we will continue to execute our plans to good effect.

What was the talk between Jacques Kallis and you when some quick runs were the need of the hour?

Jacques is very calm at the crease and I plan to keep it that way as well, which is why we had a lot of sensible talks in the middle. We were quite smart in what we did and it managed to come off which was quite nice.

Over number 18, you got the better of Thisara Perera scoring 20 runs. How do you plan such an assault? 

It was one of those occasions were the bowler sort of missed his lengths and I got my way. It can happen especially here in a short boundary with the ball coming on to the bat too well. I was glad I could manage to clear the ropes on a few occasions.

Brilliant energy on the field, stunning catches taken today by the Knights, which one was your favorite? 

The fielding is what we emphasize in our training sessions were we can stop maybe ten or fifteen runs. Our fielding coach, Trevor Penny has been instrumental in encouraging us and helping us to improve our skills all the time. My favorite was Yusuf Pathan’s catch. He had to jump his full length at the boundary ropes and it was great to see him take a stunner.

How has Kolkata treated you? How is it playing in front of a packed Eden Gardens?

The people of Kolkata have been hospitable. The love and affection you get from the Kolkata fans is absolutely brilliant. The game today was a sell out and to perform at the iconic Eden Gardens is a great feeling. I would rate the Eden Gardens in my top three grounds in the world. I love playing here and love being a part of the KKR.

source: iplt20.com