Kolkata, April 14 (IANS) Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir Sunday credited batsman Eoin Morgan for their emphatic win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their Indian Premier League match at the Eden Gardens here.
“Morgan’s knock made the entire difference. When you are thinking of 160 as a target and you get 180, it is always a big plus. Those 20 plus runs were possible because of his knock,” Gambhir said after his team posted a 48-run win over the Hyderabad team.
Morgan scored a blistering 47 off just 29 balls to take his team to 180, a total which eventually proved too much for the opponents.
Gambhir described Sunday’s victory – their first after two consecutive losses – as satisfying but said his team needed to continue to play well in their endeavour to defend their IPL crown.
The opener was all praise for fellow opener Manvinder Bisla who scored a quickfire 28 to give his team a solid start.
“Bisla’s innings was very important as it took away all the pressure from me. With him playing the big shots, I was happy playing second fiddle to him. His knock allowed me to take time and settle down,” said Gambhir.
Sri Lankan offie Sachitra Senananyeke, who in his debut match returned figures of 1/18, also came in for praise from the skipper.
“We always felt we needed to compliment Sunil Narine from the other end. Senanayeke who is a different bowler with lot of varieties fits the bill. He bowled well both at the start and end of the innings which is a great sign for us,” said Gambhir, who won the man of the match for his 45-ball 53.
The skipper also rubbished claims that KKR were a good opponent only at home. “We are a great side and if we play to our full potential, we are the team to look out for. As the defending champions, we need to play well both at home and away. The Eden pitch is similar to those at other grounds so it is a wrong assumption to say that we play well only at home,” said Gambhir.
KKR have won both their home matches but lost two away matches.
–Indo-Asian News service
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