Chris Morris is an all-rounder from South Africa and plays for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, where he is likely to lead this season. He is currently the most expensive player in IPL history, roped in for ₹16.25 crore at auction this season.
South African all-rounder Chris Morris continues to lead an example for talent has no price. While the 33-year-old has his international future hanging in the balance, he is simply nailing it in the domestic circuit, including the Indian Premier League.
He recently made history after becoming the most expensive player in IPL history. During the auction this season, he was roped in by former champion Rajasthan Royals for a whopping ₹16.25 crore.
However, critics have reckoned over the years that a hefty price tag takes a toll on the performance of the players. As for Morris, although he admitted that the intense bidding war with Royal Challengers Bangalore felt like his "breath was taken away", he calculated that it has no relation with the performance on-field.
"Look, I'll be the first person to say that my breath was taken away. I didn't expect to, first of all, be bought for that much and second of all for so many teams to want to employ my services. It's definitely a humbling feeling…and like I said, it took my breath away for that to happen and for teams to keep going for me like that blew my mind," he said during a press conference, reports ESPNCricinfo.
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"It's natural to have a little bit of added pressure when something like that has happened. I would be lying if I said there wasn't any pressure. But, fortunately enough, in the past, I have come in with quite a big price tag on my head, so at the end of the day, you got to perform on the field, no matter what your price tag is. So, there is a little bit of added pressure, but the pressure that you get from a price tag doesn't affect you on a cricket field at the end of the day," he added.
While Morris is not sure about his South African future, he focuses on the task at hand with RR. Also, with the tournament being a prelude to the upcoming ICC World T20 2021, to be held in India, Morris admits that while others might use IPL as a platform for preparation, he focuses on delivering his best here.
"Other guys will hopefully be focusing on the World Cup and that takes their focus away from the IPL, and we can jump onto that. Personally, I'm not worried about the World Cup; I'm here to do the job to win matches and hopefully push for winning the trophy in the IPL," he acknowledged.
"I haven't even looked that far (SA future). I've just focused on playing for Rajasthan Royals - that's my immediate focus and port of call right now. We will cross that bridge if we get there - if it ever arrives - but no focus on that and all my focus is here," he further asserted.
