Chris Morris is confident that he will not have to pay for his price tag, that the sum of Rs 16.25 crore, which made him the most expensive player ever in IPL history, will not impose any unwanted pressure on him and hamper his performance.
“I think it’s natural to have a little bit of pressure when something like that has happened. But fortunately, in the past too I’ve come with quite a big price tag on my head. But at the end of the day, you have to perform no matter what your price tag is.
“There may be a bit of an added pressure, but the pressure you get from a price tag doesn’t affect you on the cricket field. You just need to perform as well as you can to win the game for your team,” the South African all-rounder who will be turning out for
Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2021 said during a virtual interaction on Tuesday.
“Some initial pressure may be there, but the more you get into the tournament, the focus is just on playing cricket and having fun with your teammates. That’s what I would be looking to do.”
Morris instead hopes the financial riches coming his way would help his family to lead a comfortable life. “I don’t really plan on buying things or stuff like that. I just want to look after my family and make sure my kids get to school and university.
“Just want to make sure we have a comfortable life because at the end of the day, my family is most important for me,” he said.
However, neither has he set any specific targets as such for this IPL, nor is he thinking of a return to the South Africa team, having donned the Proteas’ jersey last during the 2019 World Cup.
“My immediate focus is to get picked in the (Royals’) XI. I don’t like setting targets because T20 cricket is unpredictable and a monster of a game. I just want to contribute where I can and ensure my team wins.
“As for returning to the South African team, I just want to cross that bridge when I get there,” the 33-year-old said in response to a question from The Telegraph.
Morris last had game time on February 26, playing for Titans in the CSA T20 Challenge. Confident about his fitness, Morris looks to form a combination with Ben Stokes, who he feels possesses “magic touch in cricket”.
“Batting-wise, Stokes’ role is at the top of the order, while I’m a lower-order batter and I’ll look to finish off games. Stokes and me are feeding off each other. We could be quite an interesting duo to come up against,” Morris, who did not have a great season for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2020, emphasised.
Archer’s absence
Pacer Jofra Archer, who the Royals would be missing at least in the first part of this IPL, underwent surgery on Monday to remove a glass fragment from a tendon in his right hand after an attempt to clean his fish tank went wrong, England’s director of cricket Ashley Giles said.
Till the time Archer is absent, Morris understands he may have to take additional responsibility as a bowler, but is ready for any sort of role that could be allotted to him.
“My role is to take the new ball and bowl at the death. And maybe one (over) in the middle, so my role doesn’t really change.
“I’ve always had fast bowlers in teams I’ve been part of and I’ve also played a supporting act. There’s a little bit of responsibility when it comes to leading the attack, but it won’t exactly be a new role even if it’s a supporting one... Wouldn’t be alien to me,” Morris explained.