Kolkata Knight Riders coach Gautam Gambhir has expressed admiration for star all-rounder Sunil Narine, who played a critical role in KKR’s third Indian Premier League title this year.
Narine emerged as the ‘Most Valuable Player’ of IPL 2024. Narine rediscovered his touch this season when he scored 488 runs and claimed 17 wickets throughout the event.
Recently, during an interview with Sportskeeda, Gambhir talked about his friendship with Narine and reflected on his early days at the KKR camp.Gambhir, who led KKR to victory in the IPL in 2012 and 2014, underlined the importance of Narine in those successes.“Narine was an introvert like me. I still recall that in Jaipur where we were going for practice back then when Windies spinner first came into IPL 2012; I requested him to share lunch with us. He was so shy that not even one word did he say during lunch until eventually asking “Can I bring my girlfriend to the IPL?” Gambhi remembered.
According to Gambhir, there is something more than just freindship between him and Narine which makes them feel like brothers.
“You know what? The guy (was) so silent that first season but now we can talk anything. It’s like my brother. Not a friend not a team mate but my brother; I see him as such. If I need him or he needs me, it’s probably just one phone call away; this is how our relationship has been developing for years. We don’t get hyped up much; we don’t show off too many emotions; we are definitely not flamboyant characters: all we do is perform our tasks effectively,” added by Gambhir.
Furthermore, Gambhir highlighted how important Narine had always been for KKR by insisting on being referred to as their ‘MVP.’
“What do I say about him? Narine would have been the MVP even if he did not win the ‘most valuable player award’. These are his stats but remember he was KKR’s MVP even before the season started. The world has witnessed his all-rounder abilities and I bet you there is still a lot that Narine can give to KKR and world cricket,” Gambhir told.
