New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Former India wicketkeeper-batter Deep Dasgupta said watching Sunil Narine trouble batters with his variations is a treat after the veteran spinner played a key role in Kolkata Knight Riders’ four-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians on Wednesday.

Narine delivered a superb spell of 1/13 in four overs on a turning track as KKR restricted the Mumbai Indians to 147/8 before successfully chasing down the target in 18.5 overs to stay alive in the playoff race.

Dasgupta praised Narine for exploiting the conditions perfectly and highlighted his deep understanding of the Eden Gardens surface.

“The extent of turn that Sunil Narine was getting from this Eden Gardens surface was quite sharp. It was good to see him making full use of the favourable conditions. Narine has been playing at this venue since 2012 and knows it very well. Watching him trouble batters with his variations is a treat. The way he brought the ball back into the stumps of Hardik Pandya and clean bowled him was a vintage Sunil Narine delivery,” Dasgupta told Jio Hotstar.

The former cricketer felt the nature of the surface resembled the spin-friendly Eden Gardens tracks seen during the 2013-14 seasons and noted that rain before the match also contributed to the conditions.

“This Eden Gardens surface reminded us not of the 2020s but of 2013-14, where the ball used to turn quite a bit. The bit of rain and the covers also played their part,” he added.

Dasgupta further said Narine’s economical spell ensured the Mumbai Indians could never build momentum during the middle overs.

“Returning with an economical spell of 1 for 13 meant that MI could never get going in the middle overs whenever Sunil Narine bowled,” he said.

Narine is one of the most successful bowlers in IPL history. He has taken 201 wickets in 197 matches. Representing only the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) since his debut in 2012, he holds the record as the first overseas bowler and only the third player overall to cross the 200-wicket milestone in the tournament.

KKR later completed the chase through crucial contributions from Manish Pandey (45) and Rovman Powell (40) to stay in the playoff contention.

–IANS

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