IPL 2024: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) opener Sunil Narine displayed a remarkably composed batting performance against Rajasthan Royals on April 16. Known for his aggressive batting approach, Narine typically goes after every ball he faces. However, in a departure from his usual style, he adopted a mature approach last night and played sensibly without compromising the strike rate.
Narine scored his maiden hundred in professional cricket and looked atypically jubilant after achieving it. His West Indian teammate, Andre Russell, who was playing at the other end, looked overjoyed and warmly hugged Narine after he scored the 100.
As he reached his personal milestone, Sunil Narine attributed his century to Gautam Gambhir, stating that Gambhir’s return as the team’s mentor had instilled confidence in him to open for KKR. Narine became only the third batter from Kolkata to score a century in the IPL.
Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle also later commented on Sunil Narine giving credit to his KKR mentor.
“So Sunil Narine credits Gautam Gambhir with giving him the confidence to go back to the top of the order. More proof that the IPL is not as much about coaching as it is about managing talent,” Bhogle wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Netizens react
Several social media users reacted to Sunil Narine crediting Gautam Gambhir, who had earlier left his political career to focus on cricket. Gambhir, who had been a captain for Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata franchise, left the team to mentor Lucknow Supergiants (LSG) for a couple of years.
Upon SRK’s request, he came back to KKR as a mentor. His “homecoming” received a warm welcome from Khan, the team management and the fans.
“Thank God Gambhir gets its credit atleast here,” wrote one user. “It’s always about your manager trusting you. You’d perform much more than your potential if your manager trusts you and distills confidence in you every single day [sic],” wrote another.
“Certainly, we can see the transformative impact on the team. His influence and confidence reflect on KKR’s position on the IPL table,” came from another user. “Gautam is blessing for KKR, KKR will definitely making spot in playoffs this season [sic],” posted another.
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Published: 17 Apr 2024, 08:24 AM IST