NEW DELHI: Kolkata Knight Riders mentor
Gautam Gambhir
has heaped praise on star all-rounder
Sunil Narine
, who played a pivotal role in KKR's third Indian Premier League title this year.
Narine was named the 'Most Valuable Player' of
IPL 2024
. Narine regained his magical touch this season, scoring 488 runs and taking 17 wickets throughout the tournament.
In a recent interaction with Sportskeeda, Gambhir spoke about his camaraderie with Narine and reminisced about the latter's early days in the KKR camp.
Gambhir, who captained KKR to their IPL victories in 2012 and 2014, highlighted Narine’s crucial role in those triumphs.
"Me and Narine are similar characters, and so are our emotions. I still remember that when Narine first came into the IPL in 2012, it was in Jaipur, and we were going for practice, and I told him to come join for lunch. He was so shy that he did not say a single word during lunch, and the first question that he eventually asked was, 'Can I bring my girlfriend to the IPL?'," Gambhir recalled.
Gambhir suggested that he and Narine share a special bond, describing the all-rounder as a brother.
"He was so quiet that first season, but now, we can talk about anything. He is like a brother to me. I don't see him as a friend, I don't see him as a teammate, I see him as a brother. If I need him or he needs me, I think we are just one call away, that is the sort of relationship that we have built. We do not get excited much, we do not show too many emotions, we are not flamboyant, we just do the job and come back," he added.
Gambhir also emphasized Narine’s consistent value to KKR, asserting that he has always been the team's 'MVP'.
"What can I say about him? Even if he didn't win the 'most valuable player award' he would have still been the MVP. You are looking at his stats but he was KKR's MVP even before the season got underway. The world has seen his talent as an all-rounder and I'm sure that Narine still has plenty to give to KKR and world cricket," Gambhir explained.
English (US) ·