"Lara Would Be Happy With Some Of His Shots....": Eoin Morgan On Narine's Innings Against DC

Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) [India] : England's World Cup-winning skipper Eoin Morgan lauded Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bowling all-rounder Sunil Naraine for his match-winning knock against Delhi Capitals (DC) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match, saying that some of the shots he played would make his childhood hero and West Indies legend Brian Lara really happy.

Narine was the tormentor-in-chief as his pyrotechnic-filled 85 in 39 balls helped Kolkata post 272/7, the second-highest total in IPL history, which they defended despite half-centuries from DC skipper Rishabh Pant and Tristan Stubbs. DC was bundled out for 166 runs and lost the game held at Visakhapatnam by 106 runs.

Morgan, the JioCinema IPL expert pointed out that Lara was Narine's batting idol and how the T20 specialist was a batter in his younger days who could bowl a little seam bowling. But he eventually turned into a spinner who could bat a bit.

"It shows how much he enjoys his batting. As a youngster, he was a batter and used to bowl a little seam. Over time, he developed these magical deliveries and worked hard on them. But he gets so much joy out of his batting. Growing up, his hero was Brian Lara. Lara would be happy with some of the shots played by Narine this evening," said Morgan about Narine.

Narine has decent numbers in the IPL. In 165 IPL matches, he has scored 1,180 runs at an average of 14.94, at a strike rate of 163.89, with five half-centuries. His best score of 85.
In three matches this season, Narine has scored 134 runs at an average of 44.66 and a strike rate of 206.15, with scores of 2, 47 and 85. He has also taken three wickets so far. He is the ninth-highest run-scorer so far in the season.

When it comes to batting, Narine's most productive season was back in 2018, scoring 357 runs in 16 matches at an average of 22.31, with a strike rate of over 189. He also slammed two fifties, with the best score of 75. He led KKR to playoffs with his performances, also picking 17 wickets at an average of 27.47.