Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) chief mentor David Hussey on Sunday hoped England's World Cup winning captain Eoin Morgan will be a great ally to the franchise's skipper Dinesh Karthik and his calm demeanour can help the team win matches in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL).<\/p>\r\n\r\n
KKR will take on defending champions Mumbai Indians in Abu Dhabi on September 23 as per IPL fixture which was released on Sunday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The 13th edition of the cash-rich league is taking place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as it had to be moved from India due to Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"He is a World Cup winning captain. He has captained England for a long time. Classy player. He will be a great ally for Dinesh Karthik," former Australia and KKR batsman Hussey said during virtual media interaction from Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Maybe fielding in the ring and talking to the bowlers while our captain's behind the stumps, keeping wickets. He is also a very cool calm and collected person so... he will be very handy in the middle order controlling things with our captain as well.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"So I do expect them to have a really good relationship on and off the field. He is going to go a long way in having a cool head and winning many games for KKR during a very tight tournament," said Hussey who has played over 300 T20 matches across franchise and international cricket and was part of the KKR team from 2008 to 2010 as a player.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Morgan has been in the form of his life since leading England to the ODI World Cup win last year on home turf.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The dashing southpaw was snapped up by KKR for Rs 5.25 crore at the IPL auction here last year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Hussey also praised England opener Tom Banton who was also roped in by KKR, saying he is probably a better version of Kevin Pietersen.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"What a player. He takes the game on. He is probably the new or better version of Kevin Pietersen I believe. He is going to be a great pickup by KKR."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Asked if big-hitting Andre Russell could be seen batting up the order, something which the West Indian desired last season, Hussey said: "Why not? If it benefits the team and helps us win games, why not. He comes in at No 3 and bats 60 balls he might actually make a double hundred! So anything can happen with him. He is probably the heartbeat of the team. We have some well balanced players and anyone can bat anywhere."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Throwing light on his role as the mentor of the side coached by former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, Hussey said he would help players get 'role clarity'.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"It is about getting around the group and making them feel relaxed. My job is to support the captain and coaches.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"The players are in phenomenal touch. I am amazed that these boys can come out of not hitting a cricket ball and just hit the ground running.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"My style is more individual. See how people are going and form a role clarity for each player. Also make them feel at ease and at home."<\/p>\r\n", "image": "https:\/\/img.cricketnmore.com\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Eoin-Morgan-2.jpg", "alt_img": "Eoin Morgan", "alt_title": "Eoin Morgan", "image1": "", "video": "", "seo_title": "Morgan Can Be A Great Ally To Karthik, Feels KKR Mentor Hussey On Cricketnmore", "seo_desc": "Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) chief mentor David Hussey on Sunday hoped England's World Cup winning captain Eoin Morgan will be a great ally to the franchise's skipper Dinesh Karthik and his cal", "seo_keywords": "Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Eoin Morgan", "tag": "", "tagging": "Chennai Super Kings,Kolkata Knight Riders,Eoin Morgan,", "status": "1", "img_rpt": "0", "google": "1", "standout": "0", "edapps": "0", "pulse": "0", "no_index": "0", "feed": "0", "fixture": "0", "slug": "morgan-can-be-a-great-ally-to-karthik-feels-kkr-mentor-hussey", "user_id": "0", "read_count": "0", "ians_date": "0000-00-00", "ians_time": "00:00:00", "server_time": "0000-00-00 00:00:00", "trash": "0", "view_count": "1331", "page_break": "0", "instant_articles": "1", "auto_link": "1", "created": "2020-09-06 18:51:56", "updated": "2020-09-06 18:53:38", "img_from": "Eoin Morgan", "img_source": "", "schedule_publish": "0000-00-00 00:00:00", "news_keywords": "Eoin Morgan", "livescore_text": "", "livescore_link": "", "btn_text": "", "resend_feed": "0", "google_feed": "0", "read_more": "0", "posted_by": "1", "jio_date": "2020-09-06 18:51:56", "scheduled": "0", "news_now": "1", "breaking_news": "0", "google_date": "2020-09-06 18:51:56", "featured": "0", "pred_match_id": null, "article_content_type": null, "link": "https:\/\/www.cricketnmore.com\/cricket-news\/morgan-can-be-a-great-ally-to-karthik-feels-kkr-mentor-hussey-63712" }