Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir says Eoin Morgan's 29-ball 47 was instrumental in their comfortable 48-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their IPL fixture here today.
"His knock made the difference... It enabled us some 20-odd more runs that took us to a comfort zone," Gambhir said giving credit to the left-hander who was promoted to No 4.
"He's a world class player. We wanted to give him more time so that he could play a natural game," he said about Morgan's batting order where Manoj Tiwary usually bats.
Gambhir also credited opener Manvinder Bisla who scored a 24-ball 28 to give them a positive start.
"He took a lot of pressure off me. It gives you that extra time. I could take my time and play a longer innings," Gambhir, who top scored with 53, said.
Having returned to winning ways after two successive away defeats, Gambhir said, "It's very satisfying. It was a very good team effort. Everyone batted well and the bowlers equally complemented. It's always good for the bowlers to have something to bowl at. Defending 140-odd always, would have been difficult."
"In a T20 game a dot ball is as good as a wicket. It just keeps adding to the pressure. They were 57 for no loss and suddenly they were in trouble at 127/7. So when you're chasing a big total, a dot ball is like getting a wicket."
Opted to bat, Kolkata Knight Riders posted a magnificent 180/4 in the stipulated 20 overs but Gambhir said the toss was not that crucial.
