'It really surprised me' - Gautam Gambhir on Morris and Lewis' omission from RR's squad against DC

In the first doubleheader of the UAE leg of the IPL, Rajasthan Royals locked horns with Delhi Capitals. Both the teams won their previous encounters and it was expected that there wouldn’t be any changes in their side for this match. Delhi Capitals however had to make a forced change wherein Lalit Yadav replaced Marcus Stoinis. But what came in as a surprise for the cricketing fraternity and the on-lookers is the fact that Rajasthan left out Chris Morris and Evin Lewis from the side.

Lewis was impressive in Rajasthan’s previous game as he laid a strong foundation for the side. Though the South African all-rounder Morris wasn’t too lethal in the last match, he has been a pivotal aspect of the side owing to his ability to change the fate of the game anytime around. Their exclusions surprised the former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir as he shed light on the importance of winning games for Rajasthan.

“It really surprised me. Rajasthan Royals need to win games. Don’t know what could be the reason, maybe it is the injuries. Morris is their biggest recruit. But yeah, Morris is not playing. Lewis is not playing. Who is going to replace them (if they are injured), it’s a question mark,” Gambhir said on Star Sports.

However, whilst the ongoing match, Kumar Sangakkara opened up on this matter. He asserted that Morris and Lewis were carrying some niggles and hence were rested for the match.

Tabraiz Shamsi and David Miller made it to Rajasthan Royals’ squad

The Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson revealed on the toss that Shamsi and Miller have made it to the cut in place of Lewis and Morris. “Hoping the wicket gets better as the day goes on. It was a great team effort from everyone but it’s history. Two people not available – Evin Lewis and Chris Morris miss out, and that means Tabraiz Shamsi and David Miller come in. We might have Livingstone coming up the order,” Samson said.

In their previous encounter, Rajasthan Royals exuded great character to come from behind and secure an unbelievable win against Punjab Kings. The Kings required just four runs off the last over but Rajasthan’s young pacer Kartik Tyagi displayed his flair and defended the runs. Thus, if RR wins this match against Delhi, they will further strengthen their chances of qualifying for the play-offs.