Sunil Narine (R) is seen here with KKR's bowling coach Wasim Akram on the eve of his team's first match of IPL 8.
© PTI
The BCCI may have finally cleared Sunil Narine's bowling action, but Kolkata Knight Riders, the IPL defending champions, will be on tenterhooks till the West Indian spinner wins matches for them once again, feels NDTV expert Dean Jones.(KKR Best Team in IPL: Dean Jones to NDTV)
The last 12 months or so have been hell for one of the world's leading spinner. Narine, booked by the ICC for a suspect action, missed the World Cup. It was perhaps the biggest blow to the Caribbean bowler. Weeks before IPL 2015, the BCCI refused to accept ICC's clearance and wanted Narine tested in Chennai.
KKR were at war with the BCCI over Narine, who finally passed the action test and joined the training.
"He (Narine) will be cold in the mind. He hasn't played cricket for a long long time and that's not going to help him," Jones said, adding that most top spinners (like Saeed Ajmal and Sachitra Senanayake) who came back with remodeled action, lost their sting.
"Will he make the same impact for KKR? If he is called again, then KKR will miss their main man. Ultimately, he is a very good bowler in the death. It will be interestingly to see what Narine does," Jones said.
The Australian feels Kolkata have the back-up if Narine fails to deliver. "If he does average in the first few games, KKR will surely go for Brad Hogg. He has done very well in the Big bash," Jones said.
Kolkata's headache will be good news for the other teams. Skipper Gautam Gambhir has clearly indicated his go-to man, saying even a straighter from Narine is dangerous.
Wednesday's opener against Mumbai Indians will reveal Narine's state of mind and preparedness.
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