Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and West Indies all-rounder Sunil Narine has said that in all the years of him playing in India’s domestic cricket league IPL, he has not come across a better player than Indian legend Virender Sehwag to play his spin bowling.
The talented West Indian spinner, who will be playing his 150th match for KKR later on Monday, has completed 10 years with the franchise. When asked who he though played him best, the 33-year-old said, “I will probably have to say Virender Sehwag. I always found it tough because he was a guy who always kept the game going no matter what situation the team was in, he kept batting the way he did.”
Even though KKR are currently placed in mid-table in the IPL after three wins and the same number of losses, Sunil Narine has emerged as the most economical bowler, with an economy rate of around five runs per over. He has also conceded the second fewest boundaries while in comparison to any bowler who has bowled a minimum of 15 overs this season.
When he was asked about how he manages to slow down the hard-hitters in a tournament full of talented batsman like in the IPL, the 33-year-old said that it basically comes down to keeping things simple.
“It’s basically if I bowl a bad ball and get hit for a six, obviously i have to bowl a better ball. If I bowl a good ball and the batter hits it for a six, I don’t try to read too much into it. I try to bowl maybe the same ball because batters don’t quite the same shot consistently, they try something else. I try to keep it as simple as possible.”
When he was told that Sachin Tendulkar had once asked the officials to provide him with Sunil Narine’s bowling footage during the 2012 Champions League T20 tournament, he was delighted to know that a cricketing legend like Sachin wanted to study his deliveries
“It gives you a good feeling knowing that one of the greatest batters to ever play the game wants to focus on you but it shows that he is dedicated and he wants to be on the top of his game and doesn’t want to be surprised when the game comes. I think for any player or youngster coming up, always strive to be the best and work on the fine details.”
The spinner has been a faithful servant of the club all these years and even after a successful spell of 10 years with KKR, he wishes to play for the same franchise in the future as well.
“Yeah I have always told Venky (Mysore, KKR CEO) that hopefully I don’t play for any other franchise, I have loved my stay at KKR so hopefully I start and finish here. I think it’s a great achievement. You don’t see many overseas players stay with one franchise. Luckily, I am one of them and hopefully I can continue to be with them in the future.”
(Inputs from the IANS)