NEW DELHI: Eoin Morgan's Kolkata Knight Riders have won three of their four matches in the resumed Indian Premier League tournament in the United Arab Emirates to reach fourth in the eight-team table.
But former KKR skipper and Indian opener Gautam Gambhir feels that Morgan is too generous in taking and implementing suggestions from the support staff.
In his column for the Times of India, Gambhir wrote, "With a jawline like that of Eoin Morgan, he can get away with the sublime and the ridiculous with equal ease. I have had the pleasure and honor of leading a Kolkata Knight Riders team with the handsome Morgan in it. I am not privy if he was, or is a lady killer, but I don't think he would have to try too hard. On the cricket front, he operated like an eminent chef - meticulous in preparation, creative in execution and warm to his patron's suggestion. While preparation and delivery is never up for debate, I think Morgan has been way too generous in accepting suggestions - some of them which are not needed."
Morgan had credited head coach Brendon McCullum for the way the team performed after KKR's victory against Delhi Capitals on Tuesday. But it were the glances that Morgan gave to the KKR dressing room before making a move that bemused Gambhir.
"Yes, a good leader should be a good communicator and an equally good listener. But in the end, he should go with his instinct. On that front I am not sure how good an idea is it for a captain to be looking at the dressing room before he decides the next move. Like you, I am also speculating what the codes provided by KKR computer analyst Nathan Leamon stand for. The amount of interest it has generated, I will be disappointed if it is anything less than a Covid vaccine formula with 100% efficacy," Gambhir added.
Gambhir, who led KKR to two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014, reminded one and all about the role of the vice-captain in the team.
"On a more sedate note, I would have resigned and declared myself unfit to captain the team if this 'sign language' was proposed to me. I am yet to discover a laboratory which claims to have mastered the formula to lead human beings. A leader must play multiple roles on the field. During powerplay, he could be a mom pampering and ignoring the adventures of his team-mate, who is in pursuit of some early runs, a little later, the same mom is replaced by a dad. Like a quintessential middleclass father, he is advising his young colleague to consolidate. Then, if wickets fall in a heap, a leader can't get angry like most dads would admonish the acts of their sons. He must work like a more learned friend, guiding his men out of a tight spot. I am not sure if he should be waiting for a code to flash before donning any of the above roles. While on this, I'd also like to mention that the role of vice-captain is often under-rated. I think apart from the captain and the wicketkeeper, he is the most important man on the field. I'd rather operate with a small leadership group that will create a team legacy and culture as well," Gambhir concluded.
