Karthik stepping down from KKR captaincy incredibly selfless: new skipper Morgan
Abu Dhabi: Kolkata Knight Riders' new skipper Eoin Morgan on Friday hailed Dinesh Karthik's decision to step down as captain of the IPL side as an "incredibly selfless" act of putting the team ahead of an individual.
Karthik handed over the reins to his deputy Morgan hours before their IPL match against Mumbai Indians here.
"Yes, I was surprised as was everybody. Yesterday, DK informed he want to step back and focus on his batting as he feels that is the best option for the team," Morgan said in an interview with Darren Ganga.
"I think it is incredibly selfless and that also shows a lot of courage from him to do that, putting the team first ahead of him being the skipper."
He said he will continue to take help from other players in the leadership group, including Karthik.
"I am delighted to continue the leadership role within this side. Obviously captain and not vice-captain now, and hopefully, continue to work alongside our players.
"I think between me and Dinesh, captain and vice-captain, we can be at the forefront of that, obviously the driving engine, with these guys behind us."
Morgan said a lot of youngsters, such as Shubman Gill, have also been "leading from the front".
"I have been quite myself. Within any good side or great side in the world, you have to have a number of leaders within the change room and we have them in abundance.
"We have a lot of young guys coming through, lead from the front. Gill, Rana to name a few. Nagarkoti stepped up at different stages and we have an abundance of overseas players to lead as well.
"We are halfway through the tournament at the moment. We have shown some potential and have not yet achieved the majority of... Tonight will be another test and hopefully, we will be up to it."
Karthik had told the KKR management that he wants to "focus on his batting and contributing more to the team's cause." Appointed skipper in 2018, the 35-year-old led KKR in 37 matches.
"We are fortunate to have leaders such as DK, who has always put the team first. It takes a lot of courage for someone like him to make a decision such as this," team CEO Venky Mysore said in a statement.
"While we were surprised by his decision, we are respectful of his wishes."
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Three die of suffocation from smoldering stove in Rajasthan Khairthal-Tijara district
Jaipur, Jan 12: A man, his son and their neighbour died of suffocation after they went to sleep without extinguishing a stove they lit to keep their room warm in Khairthal-Tijara district of Rajasthan, police said on Sunday.
The incident came to light when other family members broke the room's door after noticing that the trio did not come out of the room until Sunday afternoon.
Station House Officer Bhiwadi Devendra Pratap Sharam said Dhananjay (50), his son Ankit (14) and neighbour Abhishek Rai (25), lit a stove in the room to keep themselves warm and went to sleep without extinguishing it on Saturday night.
The windows of the room were closed and there was no ventilation. Overnight, the stove emitted toxic gases, leading to them losing consciousness and subsequently dying from suffocation, he said.
When they did not come out of the room the next day, family members broke the door open and found them unconscious. They were taken to a nearby hospital where doctors declared them brought dead, the officer said.
The three hailed from Bihar. Dhananjay worked as a daily wage labourer and his son Ankit was a Class 10 student.
