'He gave me the confidence...': Sunil Narine credits Gautam Gambhir for his resurgence as KKR opener

NEW DELHI: In a breathtaking exhibition of power-hitting, Sunil Narine showcased his prowess by smashing his maiden century in T20 cricket, guiding Kolkata Knight Riders to a formidable total of 223/6 in the IPL 2024 clash against Rajasthan Royals at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday.

Following Rajasthan's decision to field first, Narine unleashed a barrage of boundaries and sixes, achieving his highest T20 score in stunning fashion.

He reached his century in just 49 deliveries, etching his name as only the third KKR player to achieve this milestone in the IPL. Additionally, he became the first home player to score a century at the iconic Eden Gardens in the history of the IPL.

Narine used his trademark stand-and-hit style of batting as he muscled the bowlers to the boundary to eventually score 109 off 56 balls, studded with 13 boundaries and six maximums.

After a prolonged period, Narine was reinstated as the opener for this season, and he justified the decision on Tuesday with a sensational innings. And the West Indian credited the team mentor Gautam Gambhir 's role in instilling confidence to open the batting.

"With GG (Gambhir) coming back, he gave me the confidence and his assurance that I'll open the batting," Narine said during the mid innings break.

Narine emerged as KKR's highest run-getter with 276 runs in six matches and stands at third place in the race for the Orange Cap.

He emphasized that making it into the top three was beyond his expectations, stating that if someone had told him this beforehand, he would have taken it as a joke.

"I would take it as a joke because I haven't opened in such a long time or did much with the bat in the years past. The job is just to go out there and try to give a good start, whatever the situation is, still keep going because if you try to face dot balls in the powerplay, it could hurt you in the backend," he said.