IPL 2020: ‘He will increase difficulty for batsmen’ - Gautam Gambhir names bowler to watch out for
Gambhir believes one of the franchise’s most valuable and impactful players promises to make things even more difficult for the opposition.
Gautam Gambhir may have retired but his cricketing brain remains sharper than ever. Gambhir, the third most successful IPL captain of all time - behind Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni – who led Kolkata Knight Riders to two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014, believes one of the franchise’s most valuable and impactful players promises to make things even more difficult for the opposition in this edition of the IPL.
Also Follow | IPL 2020 Full Coverage
The player Gambhir is referring to is West Indies’ Sunil Narine, who has lately proven to be more effective with his tweaked action. The new action sees Narine hiding the ball, making it all the more difficult for the batsmen to read it.
Also Read | Kings XI Punjab coach Anil Kumble backs KL Rahul to succeed as captain
“For me, the most important thing is that when Sunil Narine is hiding the ball during his run-up, it will increase the difficulties for the batsmen. It will be difficult to find which ball will go away and which ball will come in. Because the later you see the ball in the hand, the more difficult it is for the batsmen,” Gambhir said on the Cricket Connected Show on Star Sports.
Also Read | Mustafizur denied NOC by BCB after being approached by IPL franchises: Report
Narine’s remodelled action saw him trouble batsmen in the Caribbean Premier League, where playing for the Trinbago Knight Riders, he picked up five wickets from four matches at an economy rate of 4.87. Narine, who joined the franchise in 2012, has picked up 122 wickets from 110 IPL matches, making him eighth in the list of highest IPL wicket-takers, and Gambhir reckons his effectiveness will double with the new action.
“If Sunil Narine gets a little grip from the UAE wickets, he will be very effective,” the former KKR captain said. “The pace at which Sunil Narine is bowling, Rashid Khan is so successful because of his pace and Sunil Narine has been successful when he has bowled quicker, it is a new thing we have seen and this might make him very successful in the IPL.”
