Gautam Gambhir, mentor of the Knight Riders, praised Sunil Narine‘s remarkable performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on social media. Narine, who usually bowls, surprised everyone by scoring his first IPL century in just 49 balls during the match against Rajasthan. Despite his outstanding effort, the Knight Riders couldn’t secure a win as Rajasthan, led by Jos Buttler’s exceptional performance, emerged victorious.

Gambhir shares on social media

There was, there is, there will be…only one! pic.twitter.com/tphZngUWhx

— Gautam Gambhir (Modi Ka Parivar) (@GautamGambhir) April 17, 2024

Nevertheless, Gambhir remained positive and congratulated Narine with a Shah Rukh Khan-inspired caption. Gambhir is often credited with helping Narine excel as an opening batsman for the Knight Riders.

Narine showcased his batting maturity by aggressively targeting the Rajasthan bowlers throughout the innings. He particularly dominated the off-spinner R Ashwin, hitting 6 sixes and 13 boundaries. Narine’s century makes him only the third player from the Knight Riders to achieve this milestone in the IPL, following Brendon McCullum and Venkatesh Iyer.

Narine shows amazing performance

Currently, Narine is competing with Virat Kohli for the Orange Cap, awarded to the highest run-scorer in the season. With 276 runs in 6 matches at a remarkable strike rate of 187, including a fifty and a century, Narine has been the key player for the Knight Riders this year.

“GG coming back, he gave me the confidence and assurance that I can open the batting and do a good job,” Sunil Narine added.

In addition to his batting prowess, Narine has also been effective with the ball, picking up 7 wickets in 6 matches at an economy rate of 6.88. His success as an opener began under Gambhir’s captaincy in 2017, where he scored 224 runs at a strike rate of 172.30.

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However, in recent years, Narine was not utilized as an opener by the Knight Riders. Gambhir’s return to the team as a mentor changed this strategy, leading to Narine’s resurgence as an impactful opening batsman.