Sunil Narine, a West Indies all-rounder, is well-known for exceptional bowling skills. He gained attention as an opener in the middle of his spectacular T20I career, thanks to his powerful hitting ability.
Narine has lavished praise on former Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir for promoting him to the position of opening batter for the team during the 2017 IPL season.
Sunil Narine had a breakthrough year for the Kolkata-based team in his debut season in 2012, taking 24 wickets in 15 matches at an average of under six runs per over. He was a key contributor to the team's first league championship. But once Gautam Gambhir urged him to bat first in 2017, the mysterious spinner remade himself, scoring 224 runs at an astounding 172.30 strike rate.
“Gautam Gambhir asked me to open. He wanted me to get the team off to a fast start; it didn’t matter if I lost my wicket early. Nobody could plan too much for me as I was still new to the role, the opposition didn’t take me that seriously, and I went from strength to strength. The more I performed well, the more confidence KKR had in me and gave me that encouragement,” Narine was quoted as saying in Cricket Monthly.
“It’s a trend I’ve set for myself, every team I play for now, I bat in a different role. It’s good and bad – I can try different roles as a batter but I don’t have that secure position in the order. One tournament I might be doing well in the middle of the order but then in the next one I may have to open the batting,” Narine said.