Hopefully they are not targeting certain bowlers: Gautam Gambhir on chucking crackdown

Sunil Narine (L) and Gautam Gambhir

Admitting that it would be an extremely difficult period for Sunil Narine following his suspension from bowling after being called for chucking during the just-concluded Champions League T20 tournament, Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir – promising full support for his star spinner –  has expressed hope on the 26-year-old returning stronger.

Gambhir, in an exclusive interview to ESPNcricinfo, said: "He [Narine] is, was and will always be an integral part of KKR and the entire squad will stand behind him and I hope he can come back as a stronger human being and can achieve much bigger heights than he has achieved in the past." 

He added: "The only thing I can say at the moment is it's a tough time for him, but he's a strong character. I had a long chat with him after the game and I told him he needed to get this monkey off his back because he himself doesn't know if there's anything wrong with his action.

"The good thing is now he will get to know whether there is actually a problem in his action. If there is any, he will try to sort that out and come back a stronger human being and a stronger character as well. He could take all that pressure and be a much better bowler as well.

“Sometimes when these things start playing in your mind, what will happen if I bowl this delivery, what will people be talking, etc. Once he gets this off his back I am 100% sure he will be a much better bowler."

Narine has also been withdrawn from the West Indies squad that is currently in India to play 5 ODIs, 1 T20I and 3 Tests to prevent him from being reported in the international circuit. 

Should not target certain bowlers

While Gambhir finds “nothing wrong” with the crackdown on chucking, which has seen the likes of Saeed Ajmal and Sachithra Senanayake being suspended, as well, he has also called for the authorities to be consistent in what they do. He said: "Hopefully they are not targeting certain bowlers and they should not be targeting certain bowlers. Sometimes the biggest challenge in these things is to be consistent and that's where I think it can get unfair. Till the time you are fair I am fine with it, whether it has to do with actions, batsmen, bowlers or xyz. For me consistency is very important in any sport."

On the 19-year-old chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav, who received a surprise national call for the upcoming series against West Indies, the Delhi-born said: “We could have easily played him in the IPL, but we though the ideal opportunity would be to play him against a foreign side in the Champions League. It is a very easy for a young kid to lose his confidence, especially in this format and it's very difficult to build that confidence."

"He's young, not a lot of people have seen him. But the challenge is when people start identifying you and figuring you out. I hope he goes from what he has achieved till now and keeps working hard on his game."