IPL 2021: Aakash Chopra questions Eoin Morgan's tactics as KKR skipper

Aakash Chopra has highlighted that some of Eoin Morgan's tactical decisions as the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper have left him dumbfounded.

KKR set a decent 172-run target for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Sunday afternoon's IPL 2021 encounter. They seemed headed towards victory when the MS Dhoni-led side needed 26 runs off the last two overs with two new batsmen at the crease but managed to lose the encounter.

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While reviewing the KKR-CSK clash in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra joked that his faltering win predictions are better than Eoin Morgan's tactical calls. He said:

"Eoin Morgan - captain, how do you do this? Even my predictions are not as bad as his strategic decisions. I have got no idea why he takes such decisions. When KKR reached 171, we all thought that it could be a winning total because you have two good spinners and decent fast bowling, you will be fine."

The former KKR player first questioned Eoin Morgan's decision not to give the ball to his spinners in the first three overs of the CSK innings. Chopra observed:

"Interestingly enough, you open with Nitish Rana at times and here when Faf and Ruturaj are playing and this is the second innings, you bring the spinner in the fourth over."

The KKR seamers did not start badly as they conceded just 18 runs in the first three overs. But they probably helped Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad get their eye in, and the CSK openers plundered 24 runs in the next two overs bowled by Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine.

"Why will you not go to Sunil Narine?" - Aakash Chopra questions Eoin Morgan's choice of bowler

Eoin Morgan gave the 19th over to Prasidh Krishna [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra lambasted Eoin Morgan for not giving the penultimate over to Sunil Narine. He elaborated:

"Varun Chakravarthy comes to bowl the 18th over, gives only five runs and dismisses Dhoni. 26 runs were left in two overs, you had one over from Narine and one over from Prasidh Krishna. Two left-handers were there, both had just come, why will you not go to Sunil Narine, honestly tell me."

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The cricketer-turned-commentator questioned Eoin Morgan's tactical acumen. Chopra explained:

"When you are defending, the 19th over is far more important than the 20th over, you have to go to your best bowler there. You had seen in the 18th over that spin was working, Suresh Raina also got run out in that over, so you had got a double-wicket over but you don't make Narine bowl, it defies logic."

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Ravindra Jadeja smashed Prasidh Krishna all over the park to bring the equation down to four runs from the last over. Although Narine did take the match to the last delivery, Deepak Chahar got the required single to take CSK to the top of the Indian Premier League points table.