'West Indies didn't respect Sunil Narine' - Nitish Rana reveals shocking reason behind his KKR teammate's retirement

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) player Nitish Rana recently made controversial comments about Cricket West Indies (CWI), criticizing their treatment of spin bowling all-rounder Sunil Narine. Nitish Rana mentioned that the West Indies didn't respect Narine when he wanted to play for the Caribbean cricket team.

Sunil Narine retired from all formats of international cricket in November 2023. Narine last played for West Indies in a T20I match against the Indian team back in 2019. During the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, Rovman Powell said that they tried to convince Narine to come out of international retirement.

Narine delivered an exceptional performance with both bat and ball in the IPL 2024 while playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders. The left-handed batter was the leading run-getter for KKR in this year's tournament. He scored 488 runs at an average of 34.86 and a strike rate of 180.74, including one century and three fifties.

The 36-year-old also excelled with the ball in the marquee T20 tournament. The mystery spinner picked 17 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 21.64 and an impressive economy rate of 6.69, with the best bowling figures of 2/22. The Knight Riders secured their third trophy under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer.

West Indies Never Used Sunil Narine Well - Nitish Rana

Nitish Rana expressed his admiration for Sunil Narine's cricketing prowess, particularly in T20 matches. Rana said that the West Indies underutilized Narine effectively during his career. Rana highlighted that Narine has retired from international cricket.

"How can you not respect a player like Sunil Narine? Especially in T20s. West Indies never used him well. They didn't pay respect to him," Nitish Rana said on TRS podcast.

"Now that Sunil is retired, West Indies coach and selectors want him back. He said that when he wanted to play for West Indies, they didn't respect him but now that he has retired they should give the opportunity to some youngster," Rana added.

West Indies Needs To Win Their Upcoming Match In T20 World Cup 2024

The Rovman Powell-led team got off to an outstanding start in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024. The home team remained unbeaten in the group stages of the ongoing tournament. The West Indies cricket team won all four matches in the group stages, including against strong contenders like New Zealand.

However, the West Indies suffered a loss against England in their first Super Eight match in the World Cup. The Jos Buttler-led team chased down an 181-run target with eight wickets and 15 deliveries to spare. The co-hosts came under pressure and are at risk of elimination from the prestigious ICC tournament.

The two-time T20 World Champions secured a convincing nine-wicket win in Barbados. The Rovman Powell-led team improved their net run rate by chasing down a target of 129 runs in just 10.5 overs. A win in their last Super Eight match against South Africa would guarantee their top spot in the semi-finals.

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