If his four-wicket haul against Delhi Daredevils is any indication, Sunil Narine may have begun IPL 2013 in the same form as last year. But his good form aside, the Kolkata Knight Riders’ bowler said he was relieved about not bowling to Virender Sehwag in the opening match of the IPL 2013.
“Sehwag is the batsman against whom I’ve found things most difficult while bowling,” Narine said in the Telegraph. “Irrespective of the situation, he goes on playing in his own style, which is to keep on scoring runs at a brisk pace.”
The lead bowler for Kolkata Knight Riders, Narine believes his success is also the result of playing with a captain who knows how to use his talent.
“Gautam [Gambhir] has a good idea of the game, which guides him to use me properly in different situations of the game,” he said. He also said he enjoyed bowling at the death, as it gave him a chance of picking up more wickets. “You can either go for plenty of runs or take wickets. It presents you with an opportunity to shine for your team.”
While his performances have been consistent in ODIs and T20s, Narine hasn’t really established himself as Test player. He played just five Tests since his debut against England in Birmingham last year, and was dropped for the recent Test series against Zimbabwe, as the West Indies selectors opted for Shane Shillingford. Narine believes he can make his mark in the longer format. “Now as far as I’m concerned, I am comfortable bowling with both white and red balls. The amount of success I’ve attained with the white ball, so far, may give an impression that I’m useful in the shorter format.”
