IPL 2018: Gautam Gambhir hints at Chris Morris's promotion up the order

Delhi Daredevils' newly-appointed captain Gautam Gambhir opened up on how he plans to use Chris Morris in the 2018 IPL. The former Kolkata Knight Riders captain compared the South African all-rounder with Andre Russell and highlighted how differently the two players were used by their respective franchises in the past seasons.

The Delhi captain talked about Morris on the sidelines of Star Sports' Game Plan.

"Morris is a quality all-rounder and a better and much quicker bowler than Russell. Russell is a little bit of a better batsman, he can change the game more consistently with the bat. But with Morris, I felt he has batted lower than he should have. He hasn’t had enough opportunity," Gambhir said.

"But for a game changer to make a change in the game you need to give him enough opportunity as well. At times we have pushed Russell to bat at number 3 and 4 depending on what the situation is. If you have wickets in hand, you rather push someone after the 10 overs.

"Delhi have played him at number 6-7, which is lower than where he should be batting at because he’s a proper batsman. Moreover, he can also bowl in the powerplay and in the last 4 overs," he added.

Rajat Bhatia, who has played for as many as four franchises in the IPL and under Gambhir at KKR as well, was present at the event too. The 38-year-old opined that Gambhir is the best person to lead a Delhi side which hasn't won the tournament in its 10-year history.

"One thing I can assure you, the only guy who can bring IPL trophy to Delhi is the guy sitting next to me. The best part about his captaincy is that even though he is not scoring runs he is not going to leave you.

"He will still back you. I have seen captains leave their captaincy in the middle of IPL because they are not getting runs but he is not one of them," said Bhatia.