INTERVIEW
Follow UsOne of the most exuberant commentators of modern broadcasting, Danny Morrison is currently going under the mandatory quarantine period in Chennai for the IPL 2021. The IPL has given Morrison a new identity in world cricket and he enjoys this limelight especially in India which by his own admission is surprising as well as humbling. So much so that, Morrison was always in demand for the selfies in Patna where he was the mentor for the Patna Pilots, one of the five teams in the inaugural Bihar Cricket League. As an effervescent commentator, Morrison is a globetrotter but he is unapologetically a fan of the Indian Premier League. “By far away it’s the biggest tournament on the planet. And as a commentator and as a former player, we love coming over here,” says the 55-year-old Kiwi.
Of course, there is always a unique kind of buzz if you compare it with the other T20 leagues across the world. However, what makes IPL a truly lively tournament is the presence of thousands of neutral fans on each venue. And, that is what gives energy and enthusiasm to someone like Morrison who thrives on crowd presence to lift his own performances.
“The difficulty now in these Covid time is that unfortunately, the crowd is not going to be there. Crowd and energy from the fans are part of the whole show and they really do make it. It’s very frustrating that we won’t have fans in the stadium at least to start with. We had this situation in Dubai last year and now here in India,” says the Auckland-based commentator who also has got home in Dubai because of his frequent TV assignments in the sub-continent.
From the mid-80s to mid-90s, Morrison carved a special niche as one of the premier fast bowlers of his generation. Nearly 300 international wickets (across 48 Tests and 96 ODIs) for New Zealand is perhaps sufficient for stardom in his country but Morrison believes that IPL has transformed the game which goes beyond the boundaries of India.
“What separates IPL is the quality of cricket since all the big players are mostly available for this league. You talk about big superstars or foreign players and all the Indian players of course play in this tournament. From that perspective, it is immense and a crowd takes it to another level.”
The former New Zealand pacer is a great fan of Indian cuisine and has developed a sweet tooth as well. He got ‘upset’ when a waiter didn’t serve halwa someday along with lunch during his week-long stay in Patna. Yet, he was never tired of answering one particular question everyone invariably seems to have posed to him. Who is going to start as favourite for IPL 2021? “It is always tough to predict that. I mean Mumbai Indians is a Powerhouse, Chennai Super Kings used to be the other powerhouse and Kolkata Knight Riders haven’t won it for a while and Delhi got to the final last year. Everyone wants a new winner; can Royal Challengers Bangalore pull their acts together? They have got a very balanced side now. Could RCB be the Champs for 2021? Let’s see!” said Morrison while hinting at his favourite without declaring it boldly which has become his trademark while doing commentary.
Like RCB captain, Morrison too feels that Virat Kohli opening the innings could change the dynamics for the franchise that has reached three finals without clinching the trophy even once. “We have been saying it for the last 6 years. Pommie Mbangwa (former Zimbabwe player) is my friend and as one of my co-commentators, he remembers it. We said that in Chinnaswamy Stadium (Bangalore) a long time back and it is great to hear that Virat would open for the RCB. It’s no brainer since you want your best players to face the most balls,” says the former Kiwi pacer.
During his time as a potent fast bowler, Morrison’s approach still finds resemblance in someone like Shardul Thakur who could be a bit expensive at times but takes crucial wickets. So, does he now prefer someone like Bhuvneshwar Kumar who is very economical even if he doesn’t pick too many wickets? “I want to be both. Rolled them into one! Ideally, you want to be a Jofra Archer. He is never going to be hundred percent fit all the time but he has that extra pace, the X factor, and the change of pace,” says Morrison.
The modern generation may not be able to remember the bowler Morrison who with a slingy action and enough variation in his armory used to be a formidable force. He was one of the quickest learners of his time and realized the importance of a well-disguised slower ball, the yorkers and slower cutters, which could keep even the best batters quiet. Morrison is happy to see that modern fast bowlers have managed to cope with all kinds of challenges from batsmen. “Modern fast bowlers must be applauded for the fact that they have so much variety in their armory these days. They slow down at the point of delivery; go wide on the crease, bowl wide yorkers, slower ones, and bowl slow tennis ball bouncers. Changing gear and stride at the time of delivery is very tough on your body because the modern quick bowlers are also traveling a lot and it does take its toll. It has been exciting to watch them adapt to challenges,” concludes Morrison.