IPL 2021: COVID-19 crisis difficult to comprehend, says Chris Morris

“It is difficult to comprehend what’s happening” — that was Chris Morris’ first thought after Rajasthan Royals’ victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai on Saturday.

The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India has reported more than 2,500 casualties in the last 24 hours.  Morris, who adjudged Player of the Match for his four-wicket haul, feels every victory will be sweet if it can spread positive vibes among the people.

“As a team, we are feeling the hurt. We have been talking about the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The frontline workers all around the world are doing an incredible job. It is our responsibility to play with a smile on our faces. We have to keep people on the other side of the screen happy, whether we are winning or losing,” he told reporters.

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The South African, who was bought for Rs 16.25 crore this season, feels every bowler is a leader in the Royals setup and that helped in plotting against the big-hitters of the Knight Riders. “The pitch tends to speed up at night and that’s why we wanted to bat second. Early on, you need to bowl slower balls. Our execution was better in terms of lengths.

“We have cool heads and experience among the bowlers. Everybody feeds off each other. All of us are leaders. We were having a blast in the first seven overs. The guys were laughing, a few of the supporters were singing silly songs. We really had a good time,” said Morris, who dismissed Andre Russell for the fourth time in T20 cricket.

“It is quite nice to contribute. If I go for 16 in three overs, drop three catches and get a duck I won’t care as long as the team wins,” he added.

The Royals’s next assignment is against defending champion Mumbai Indians on April 29.