Spin star Sunil Narine opens up

Kolkata: Knight Riders’ owner Shah Rukh Khan admits that his side are relying a lot on their spin department. That’s not surprising when it has been proved time and time again that spinners have won matches for KKR. And when you talk about those spinners, Sunil Narine’s name comes up first in that list. In a candid interview with Gulf News, Narine made it clear that he does not want to get carried away with the adulation that he is receiving all over the world. Excerpts:

Q: How do you react to Shah Rukh Khan’s praise about your special ability of winning matches?

A: Every professional cricketer’s main job is to perform and try to help his team to win matches. I am just trying to do that. But at the same time I must say that if your owner is happy, you feel satisfied. I gain lot of confidence from this.

Q: What do you think about Kolkata?

A: It’s a lovely city. People have lot of warmth. How can I forget Kolkata when it gave me first-hand recognition in international cricket when I first went there to play for Knight Riders?

Q: How do you rate Gautam Gambhir as captain?

A: He is brilliant. He has been guiding me throughout. Since he is also a good batsman against spin bowling, I also get lot of tips from him about how to contain top-class batsman.

Q: Do you go out of your hotel much in Kolkata?

A: I prefer to stay in the hotel room and listen to music. I gain lot of confidence by following this routine.

Q: Most of the wickets in India are batsman friendly. How do you cope with this?

A: The most important thing is to vary your length. It depends on the batsman you are bowling to. And I know full well that I won’t be successful everyday. So my target remains to try and bowl at the best of my ability.

Q: Which format of cricket is the best in your opinion? Is it Test matches?

A: It is definitely Test matches. When I was growing up, I had a dream to play for the West Indies in Test matches. Now that I play for the West Indies, I just want to continue doing so for many more years.

Q: Don’t you think that the popularity of Test cricket is on the wane?

A: Maybe, as there are more people coming to see T20, but the appeal of Test matches is still the greatest for the followers as well as the cricketers. It’s simply the best, no question about it.

Q: Is it true that you once took all ten wickets in an innings in a local match in Trinidad?

A: Yes, I did. And that was a trial match for me where I was playing for a place in the senior Trinidad team. To this day, it’s difficult for me to believe that I was able to take all ten wickets in an innings. People noticed me after that. And that is my most memorable achievement in cricket so far.

Q: Is it true that your hero was Brian Lara?

A: Of course. I am from Trinidad and it was wonderful to know about his achievements, his dedication and his hard work. He achieved so much for our country on the cricket field. I was inspired a lot watching him dominate the cricket world. He was my hero.

Q: How do you handle fame and fortune?

A: Well, at the end of the day, I am doing what I love most — playing cricket. That helps immensely since I want to continue doing that. There will be some distractions, definitely, but you need to focus on the things you have to do to be here. And that makes the task a lot easier.