Sunil Narine, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) opener, smashed his maiden IPL hundred during the face-off against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on April 16, Tuesday. Narine's blistering innings of 109, scored in just 56 balls, underscores his remarkable resurgence as a batter this season.
The credit for Narine's newfound confidence as an opener goes to none other than Gautam Gambhir, KKR's mentor. Gambhir's return to the team saw Narine being promoted up the order, a move that has paid off handsomely for the team. Reflecting on his remarkable performance, Narine expressed gratitude towards Gambhir, emphasizing how the mentor instilled the belief in him to excel in this role.
"I think it would have been a joke because I hadn’t opened the batting for a few years. I had in the past but didn’t believe. With GG coming back, he gave me the confidence and assurance that I will do good. I had to give the team a good start. The job is to give a good start, whatever the situation is. We have an understanding of the pitch. It won’t be easy. We have to make use of the powerplay. Try to pick wickets and restrict them to a low total as possible," said Narine as quoted by India Today.
Narine's stellar inning has not only propelled him into the limelight but also earned him a respectable position in the Orange Cap standings, currently third behind Virat Kohli and Riyan Parag. Despite his outstanding form, Narine remains grounded, acknowledging the challenges ahead.
Narine commented when asked about the upcoming T20 World Cup, hinting at the uncertainty surrounding his international career, and said that he would be at home watching the T20 World Cup.
He is a great asset to the team and he is showing it every game: Shreyas Iyer
After the game, KKR captain Shreyas Iyer admitted that the game was tough to swallow, describing the emotions as a roller coaster. He acknowledged Sunil Narine's stellar performance, considering him a valuable asset to the team. Iyer reflected on the challenges of bowling to Narine in high-pressure situations and emphasized the importance of learning from mistakes and bouncing back. Despite the defeat, he expressed pride in his team's performance.
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"(Was this game a bitter pill to swallow?) I would second that actually, emotions were a roller coaster, certainly didn’t think we will get into this situation. It’s a funny game at the end of the day, he was striking the ball cleanly and timing them so well, have to take it on the chin and move on. I mean at this point of time you see that you bowl your best deliveries, a little bit hit or miss and you are sent out of the ground, it’s good that it happened now rather than it happening in the later stages of the tournament, good learning for us.
"(On Sunil Narine) He is a great asset to the team and he is showing it every game, he is that kind of player who capitalizes on each and every moment. I'm glad that he is a part of our team. Since he was striking it so well, I thought let’s take pace off the ball and gave it to Chakaravarthy and it’s high pressure when you have five fielders inside the circle, you basically don’t have idea where to bowl. It’s just about relaxing and rejuvenating, it was very humid as well today. It's important to learn from our mistakes and bounce back. We have a few days break. At the end of the day, it was a great game, a few overs here and there but I’m really proud of the boys," Iyer said.
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