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Journalism of Courage
Did Kolkata Knight Riders know beforehand that Sunil Narine would be called again? Captain Gautam Gambhir’s comment regarding his premier off-spinner’s recent travails had a tinge of sarcasm, but it ended in adding to the curiosity.
“Most of us knew, even after he (Narine) was cleared in Loughborough and Chennai, he was cleared with only one thing in mind, that he can again be reported,” said Gambhir ahead of Kolkata’s game against Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens on Sunday.
Does this mean the team management was a bit unsure about Narine’s remodelled action? “It’s not about the team management. It’s about the umpires and match referees. Obviously, the team management was absolutely satisfied and that’s why we played him. He was cleared from both the centres only after satisfying all those people in charge at the testing centres,” Gambhir explained.
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Has Narine become a target of match officials? “He (Narine) has just been reported. He’s not banned. The reason we sent him (to Chennai) is because we wanted to get this out of the system. We want to play freely and keep this out of our mind about whatever doubt people had of his action,” said Gambhir.
Narine underwent further re-tests of his bowling action at Sri Ramachandra Arthroscopy and Sports Science Centre (SRASSC) in Chennai on Saturday. The report is expected in the next two days. He had undergone tests before the IPL as the BCCI wanted him cleared by the Chennai lab before giving him the go-ahead for Season 8.
The Trinidadian went through the paces in the first four matches untroubled, even though he failed to make much of an impact, with only two wickets to his credit. Against Sunrisers Hyderabad, though, he tried a few deliveries that raised suspicion of the match officials. So, yet again, Narine was reported for suspect action.
Gambhir admitted this is “disturbing and unsettling” for the player. “It goes through his (Narine) mind all the time. But we got to live with it. Sunil is a quality bowler. A different bowler as well, for he spins it both ways. He has obviously been our main bowler. (Our) bowling attack has revolved around him. If we don’t play him, we need to see what’s the best combination.
“As for Sunil, he’s absolutely available for tomorrow’s game, but we’ve to take a call about whether to risk him before reports are out. We still have 24 hours before the game…”
Kolkata have options with Johan Botha, Kuldeep Yadav and KC Cariappa in their ranks. “We’ve got enough spinners to trouble anyone,” Gambhir asserted.
Get latest updates on IPL 2025 from IPL Points Table to Teams, Schedule, Most Runs and Most Wickets along with live cricket score updates for all matches. Also get Sports news and more cricket updates.
