Sunil Narine has been in terrific form with the bat in this year’s IPL. Moving him up the order has proved to be a masterstroke for KKR in this year’s IPL. Sunil Narine’s performance as opener has improved because KKR’s mentor, Gautam Gambhir, believes Rinku Singh.
After scoring his maiden IPL hundred for KKR, Sunil Narine credited Gautam Gambhir for making him open the innings for KKR in 2017 for the first time.
In his post-match presentation, Rinku also said the same words as Sunil Narine.
Rinku said, “You can see the way Narine is batting this time. In every match, he’s making runs, opening the batting, and that was his (Gambhir’s) idea only.”
Sunil Narine also holds the record for the fourth-fastest fifty in IPL history with just 14 deliveries, which he scored in 2017.
In his post-match presentation, Rinku Singh was asked about Sunil Narine’s transformation,to which he replied, “Nothing much has changed. It’s the result of his sheer hard work at the nets.
“I’ve just noticed one change—he’s more patient now. Earlier, he used to swing his bat at every ball; now he has restrained himself and plays according to the merit of the ball. He is batting thoughtfully and wisely.”
However, Narine’s maiden IPL hundred came in a losing cause as in the chase, Rajasthan Royals swashbuckling opener Jos Buttler smashed his second IPL hundred of the season, scoring 107*, helping his side to win the thrilling encounter by two wickets.
Speaking about the result, Rinku Singh said, “It happens sometimes, but it won’t impact much. Our team is doing very well. We are not thinking much about the loss. Credit goes to RR; they did well. Also, you need a bit of luck in your favor. It was their day. Buttler’s innings were the turning point. Full credit goes to him.”
KKR is set to play against Royal Challengers Bangaluru on April 21 at Eden Gardens.
