Sunil Narine has been a revelation opening the batting for KKR in IPL 10 so far.[/caption]Internet Desk: The biggest surprise of IPL 10 so far has been the slam-bang batting of Knight Rider’s mystery spinner Sunil Narine. The Trinidadian bowler has taken the IPL by storm opening the batting for the Knight Riders. The two time champions badly needed someone to fire at the top of the order after Chris Lynn got injured after the first match of the season.
The Caribbean spinner has blasted his way to 119 runs from only 59 balls in the four matches he played as an opener so far for the purple army. And the most interesting aspect is the strike rate at which he scored the runs. Narine has a staggering strike rate of 189.06 so far. At one point the KKR spinner scored 60 runs in boundaries before taking a single against RCB.
But someone keeping a close track will know that this wasn’t the first instance of Narine opening in a T20 match. Narine has opened the batting for Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League on three occasions earlier this year.
The KKR mystery spinner has so far scored 34 (17 balls), 42 (17 balls), 37 (18 balls), showcasing his prowess with the bat as well. But what exactly has led to such a transformation in Narine’s batting. According to KKR video analyst AR Shrikanth, it is the “windball cricket” in the Caribbean that has helped Narine developed the skill of hitting the ball with so much power.
Windball cricket is a mini-premier league played in the Caribbean with a softball under floodlights every year and it involves prize money as well. It is 8-overs-a-side contest and played mostly on concrete surface. Shrikanth said even the likes of Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard play these windball tournaments. The popularity of the tournament among these West Indian cricketers is such that Bravo once said "windball cricket is better organised" than WICB.
Srikanth in a recent interview revealed that Narine once told him that he is enjoying his batting as well after his success in the local tournament. The windball cricket has helped the mystery spinner become a natural striker of the ball and developed a good sense of timing. He can now hit the ball as hard as he can with a full swing of the bat.
In fact, Shrikanth was present in Australia earlier this year during the BBL and watched Narine closely opening the batting for Renegades. Surprising it may sound but the fact is the Knight Riders mystery spinner is the fifth highest six hitter in PSL for Lahore Qalandars last season batting down.
The decision for Narine to open the batting was the brainchild of KKR assistant coach Simon Katich. The team management comprising of Head Coach Jaques Kallis, bowling coach Laxmipathy Balaji and Simon Katich has decided to open with Narine at the top of the order.
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