‘Captain’ Sunil Narine picked up three wickets in his last two overs to turn the match on its head and help KKR beat DC by 14 runs.
Sunil Narine took over as the Kolkata Knight Riders captain in the middle of the Delhi Capitals’ run chase on Tuesday, almost silently. Most things with Narine generally happen without much fuss. It’s as if even the fast-paced T20 cricket goes into slow motion around him.
On the first ball of the 12th over in DC’s chase, KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane injured his hand while attempting to stop a powerful shot from Faf du Plessis and immediately left the field.
Amid all this, Narine stepped up to lead KKR in Rahane’s absence. He is not much of a talker but after representing the franchise for 15 years in the IPL, he knows a thing or two about being a leader and he brought all of those attributes into play in staging KKR’s comeback.
Also Read: Vaibhav Suryavanshi Creates History with Sensational IPL Century
Narine Brings Back Chakaravarthy as DC Chase Gains Momentum with Axar-Faf Stand
Narine’s first major decision was to bring Varun Chakaravarthy back into the attack. He gave away 22 runs without taking a wicket in his first two overs, but Narine realized that for KKR to win, their best bet was for him and Chakaravarthy to bowl in tandem. The Indian leg-spinner gave away nine runs in the 13th over. DC were 130/3 in 13 overs, needing 75 more runs to win in the remaining 42 balls with captain Axar Patel (37*) and Faf du Plessis (59*) stitching a match-changing partnership.
Narine brought himself back from he other end. Axar was hellbent on proving Narine’s decision wrong by hitting the experienced spinner for a six off the first ball of the 14th over but the KKR skipper for the night turned the tables. He changed the angle and induced a false shot from Axar, who was struggling with an injured hand. Harshit Rana took a sharp catch at extra cover. It was the fourth time Narine dismissed Axar in the IPL.
Also Read: Pakistani Patients Plead With India as Medical Visa Deadline Ends