Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], April 20 (ANI): Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor Gautam Gambhir revealed on Saturday the moment he knew that West Indies and KKR bowling all-rounder Sunil Naraine was going to become a legend in the game.
Gambhir was speaking on the 'Knights Dugout' podcast of his franchise. The episode also featured veteran batter Manish Pandey, who made his return to the franchise this year.
Narine recently cracked his first T20 hundred, a 56-ball 109 against Rajasthan Royals on April 16. He is among the top 10 run-getters this season, scoring 276 runs at an average of 46.00 and a strike rate of 187.75, with a century and a fifty. He has also taken seven wickets this season.
Speaking during the podcast about Narine, Gambhir said, "I faced Sunil Narine in his international debut at Indore (in December 2011), and within 7-8 balls, I knew he was going to become a legend of the game, especially in T20 cricket."
Gambhir also spoke about the team owner, Bollywood legend Shah Rukh Khan, who he called as the "best owner" he has worked with and lauded the actor for his support during his tough times on the field.
"I have said numerous times that he (Shah Rukh Khan) is the best owner I have ever worked with. In the seven years of my captaincy, we did not even have a seven-minute conversation on cricket. During the bad patch, I was on the verge of dropping myself, so I went and spoke to him, and the only thing he told me was that, till you are here, you are not going to drop yourself," said Gambhir.
The podcast host, anchor Cyrus Broacha, called Gambhir as a "jovial and easy going guy" off the field.
To this, Gambhir replied that the most difficult thing to beat in this country is perception and he said that people have made a perception of him that he is an intense guy.
"Someone who does not even know me has this perception that he is intense. And why should I not have a game-face? Because people do not come to watch me smile. People come to watch KKR win," Gambhir said.
Manish also shared his thoughts about Gambhir, saying that the kind of enthusiasm he brings to the team is inspiring and he backs players really well. He also said that the IPL final in 2014, during which he made 94 in 50 balls to chase 200 runs set by the Punjab Kings at Bengaluru, was a memorable day for him.
"The kind of enthusiasm he brings in all of the players is very inspiring, and one can understand the intensity just by looking in his eyes. He backs every player right till the end and supports everyone in a way that you will eventually go out there and give your best for the team. It (the 2014 final) was a very memorable day for me. We were chasing a big score that day and I was in good form so I wanted to go out there and get the win for KKR, glad that happened," he said. (ANI)
