Aakash Chopra Suggests That Shubman Gill Should Be Appointed As KKR's Captain
Updated - 20 Nov 2020, 04:23 PM
Former India cricketer, Aakash Chopra opined that opener, Shubman Gill should be named as the skipper of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He feels that Eoin Morgan should be replaced as the captain as the left-hander occupies a definite overseas spot.
KKR missed out on a playoff spot as they finished fifth on the points table, and were ousted on the net run-rate despite having the same number of points as Bangalore and Hyderabad. The management kept changing their batting line-up throughout the season, and to make matters worse, and the captain was changed from Dinesh Karthik to Eoin Morgan mid-season.
Shubman Gill would be my first retention: Aakash Chopra
In a video uploaded on his Facebook page, Aakash Chopra opined that keeping the future in mind, KKR should appoint Shubman Gill as their captain for IPL next season.
He reckons Eoin Morgan should not be the skipper as he is an overseas player and will occupy a guaranteed spot in the eleven even if he doesn’t perform well enough.
The cricketer-turned-commentator gave the example of the Delhi Capitals. DC appointed Shreyas Iyer captain mid-season in 2018 replacing an out-of-form Gautam Gambhir. They provided Iyer with a strong coaching staff and gave him good support in the batting line-up. He led them to playoffs last season, and to Delhi’s maiden IPL final this season. Chopra expects Gill to become mature the same way Iyer did.
In his Facebook video, Aakash Chopra said, “I am saying about Shubman Gill, that they should appoint him as their captain. They have to make the team for the next three years. I don’t feel they should make Eoin Morgan the captain. They shouldn’t make him the captain as he is an overseas player, they can play him if they want but they shouldn’t make him the captain.
“They should build the team around Shubman Gill if they want to look ahead for the next three years. The way Delhi Capitals did with Shreyas Iyer, gave him a strong coaching staff so that he gets the support, and after that over a period of time, you graduate, you mature into a captain, that’s what I am expecting from Shubman Gill.”
The 43-year-old also mentioned the three players who KKR should retain. He said that even though Andre Russell didn’t have a good season, he is a highly valuable player and a match-winner who should be retained. Chopra reckons Varun Chakravarthy should be retained as he brings the mystery element while bowling. For the first retention, he mentioned opener Shubman Gill.
The former KKR player believes that the management should release Morgan, Karthik, Pat Cummins, and Sunil Narine and look to get Nitish Rana back with a right-to-match card.
Chopra continued, “The first name is Andre Russell. This year may not have been good but he is a T20 rockstar. If you release him and try to buy him at the auction, he will be very expensive, so it is better to retain him. The second player I can see is Varun Chakravarthy.
“He is taking wickets, he is a mystery bowler and is accurate. Last but not the least, who could actually be their first retention. Name is Shubman Gill. They should leave Sunil Narine, Eoin Morgan, Pat Cummins, and Dinesh Karthik.”
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