Published 16:46 IST, September 27th 2020
IPL 2020: 'Magnificent to watch', Eoin Morgan heaps praise on Shubman Gill's stellar knock
Eoin Morgan heaped praise on Shubman Gill's stellar knock against Hyderabad on Saturday. Gill scored an unbeaten 70 as Kolkata registered their first win
Eoin Morgan heaped praise on youngster Shubman Gill for his match-winning half-century against Hyderabad at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Gill scored an unbeaten 70 and also anchored Kolkata's run-chase by involving in a 92-run stand with Morgan for the fourth-wicket after the former champions had lost their three wickets very early.
'Magnificent to watch': Eoin Morgan.
“I didn’t have to tell him a great deal, to be honest, he’s beautiful to watch on the eye, good bat swing, very languid style, magnificent to watch, he’s a good kid, very hungry to learn and I would love to bat with him once again. I think he deserves all the success,” said England's World Cup-winning skipper during the post-match interview
The young batsman was adjudged Man of the Match for his brilliant knock.
Kolkata restrict Hyderabad
Hyderabad skipper David Warner won the toss and quickly decided to have a bat.
Kolkata put on a completely dominating performance with the ball as they restricted Hyderabad for 142 of the first 20 overs. While Cummins got rid of in-form Bairstow early in the innings, skipper David Warner kept going and looked dangerous. Young spinner Varun Chakravarthy then baffled the Hyderabad skipper with a dream delivery. Then Manish Pandey and Wriddhiman Saha continued to build the innings for the Orange Army.
However, with the boundaries drying up and innings end approaching Manish Pandey attempted to big and was eventually caught and bowled by Andre Russell. Pandey top-scored for Hyderabad as he brought up his half-century before getting dismissed.
Gill-Morgan take Kolkata across the line
Chasing a modest total of 143, the two-time winners were in a spot of bother as they lost early wickets. Danger slogger Sunil Narine was dismissed in the second over by Khaleel Ahmed while Nitesh Rana was also sent back after a short cameo. Skipper Dinesh Karthik then took the onus upon himself to, but his stay at the crease was short-lived courtesy of Rashid Khan's brilliant delivery to trap him plumb. It was then Gill & Morgan who anchored the entire innings stitching a partnership of 92 runs for the fourth wicket and ensuring that there were no further hiccups as the Dinesh Karthik-led side got past the finish line by seven wickets and exactly two overs to spare.
(Image Courtesy: @IPL)
Updated 16:46 IST, September 27th 2020