There is some great news in store for the Kolkata Knight Riders as mystery spinner Sunil Narine’s action has been cleared by the ICC and the Trinidadian is now allowed to bowl. Narine has always been a pillar of strength for the Kolkata Knight Riders as the opposing batsmen have time and again struggled to pick his variations.
Before their game against the Mumbai Indians at the Eden Gardens, veteran chinaman Brad Hogg said that Narine’s return was a massive boost to the Knight Riders. Hogg maintained that the remodeled action of Narine is equally effective and in the nets, he failed to pick his deliveries. “It is good having Sunil V 2.0,” Hogg said. “It is just a confidence thing with Sunil. I remember taking some balls from him.”
Hogg further elaborated some of the variations which Narine has in his arsenal. “I struggled to pick it from the hand. He was bowling the doosra or I thought it was going the other way and I looked like a complete idiot as the ball went to the boundary past me,” Hogg said. “His action was perfect. And he was still bowling the balls we see out in the middle. We know that he can do it legitimately.”
The veteran Australian said that there was healthy competition between him and Narine and that benefited the Knight Riders as a whole. “We put pressure on each other with the ball. It is competitive and respectful competition between us,” Hogg said. “He is a class bowler. He has been sorely missed. As individuals, we train hard. We want to be able to be on the park. But it is a team. If I am not playing and he takes my spot, I have to create the energy which I quite have in the change room to make sure everyone is up for the challenge.”