What do you say about a talismanic personality like Brendon McCullum? An inspiring leader, who walked the talk, played bravely and backed players who did the same during his playing days, as captain of the New Zealand cricket team. Now, McCullum is back at Kolkata Knight Riders—where he started his Indian Premier League career with a blistering 158 off 73 balls—this time, as coach. He takes charge of the team, after successfully helping KKR's sister team in the Caribbean Premier League—the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR)—lift the title less than a couple of weeks back.
After winning the IPL in 2012 and 2014, KKR have been trying hard to get their hands on their third IPL title but in vain. The Dinesh Karthik-led squad missed the play-offs narrowly in 2019.
Much like with his style of play and captaincy, McCullum has already started making his mark as the head coach. The team has brought in World Cup 2019-winning captain Eoin Morgan and the head coach has announced that Morgan will be part of KKR's leadership group and help skipper Dinesh Karthik in decision-making. The former NZ skipper also had high praise reserved for young Indian upcoming cricketer Shubhman Gill who too he has drafted in the KKR "leadership group to assist with and learn from experienced hands like Morgan and Karthik”.
Speaking about Gill, McCullum said that the ongoing IPL would see the Punjab youngster feature in the top order in all the matches. Karthik's inability to play Gill regularly in the first XI as well as up the order due to a "jam-packed top-order" in the 2019 season, had raised many eyebrows and drew criticism from various quarters. McCullum has made it clear that Gill, with his proper technique and special talent, will be utilised in the top-order throughout this season.
Responding to a query by THE WEEK on the same, McCullum said, "Shubhman is better suited top of the order. He is a quality player especially when the wickets are being a little bit tricky. When you have fast bowlers, you want your batsmen with best technique, batsmanship and craft and he is certainly one of those guys with these abilities. I see him batting in top order throughout the campaign."
The KKR head coach also talked about his expectations from Gill as part of the team's leadership role. "I am really impressed with the way he carries himself and plays the game. I feel he has a bit of presence about him even at this young age, very respectful. What I want to see most out of him is to grow on his own time but also take those around him who are still reasonably inexperienced to grow at the same rate that he is going, in his own career. If he can do that, it’s going to be a good thing for KKR. He has a big role. DK really respects him as a person and cricket brain and I think he will be one more resource for DK as captain."
Eoin Morgan, too, has been drafted into the KKR side to provide support to Karthik the captain, said McCullum. "Eoin Morgan, from our point of view, was a fantastic option at the IPL auction, because we wanted to provide a bit of resource around Andre Russell's six-hitting ability. Also, to provide some leadership around Dinesh Karthik; obviously, Morgan has won the World Cup for England. He has been a standout leader in world cricket. He was the guy we were desperate to get and have batting around Andre Russell, DK. He provides us with a very strong middle-order."
Elaborating on Morgan's own batting evolution, McCullum observed that the England skipper has learnt to play more freely now. “Now, he understands his game and is playing the way he probably wanted to play when he was younger but probably didn’t have the confidence to do. He is an incredibly dangerous player. Probably the best middle-order batsman in this short version in last couple of years."
The Kiwi described TKR's title win at the recently-concluded CPL as a “cool campaign” but says the IPL is a different ball game altogether. "It (CPL) was a great experience to be part of. It was a really cool campaign. It’s different here (in IPL); the make-up (of teams) is slightly different—you have four big players who have experience, and majority of the squad just lack little bit of it. But I am not worried. The talent and hunger makes up for that," he said.
On whether McCullum’s entry as coach would also mean playing the brave and thrilling brand of cricket he is identified with, he said that, as a coach, it’s different, and that he expects the team to play flexible and intelligent cricket. "Yeah, that was first question I was asked when I became a coach—whether you expect every guy to go down the track for a six. That’s clearly not the idea! That's how I went playing around in my career. I played with real aggressive intent because that is what suited me. From coaching point of view, the key is to try and understand what each and every individual's best game is, and try and motivate them to play their best game day in and day out. While putting squads or playing XI together, you try and get a balance of craft, touch, and skill, and try to match up against the opposition and ensure the guys in the squad complement each other. I am still learning as a coach, and certainly not preaching you have to play a certain way."
KKR will play their first match of the IPL 2020 season against Mumbai Indians on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi.