Narine and Kuldeep, KKR's potent weapons

KKR's spin bowling coach Carl Crowe says Narine has been effective even after changing his bowling action. According to him, Kuldeep's calmness under pressure helps him succeed.

KKR spin bowling coach Carl Crowe helped Sunil Narine remodel his action.

For Kolkata Knight Riders's spin bowling coach Carl Crowe, Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav — two potent weapons in the team's armoury — stand out for their ability to excel amidst adversity.

Crowe, a first class cricketer from England, said the West Indies spinner deserved commendation for being effective even after changing his action and praised the Indian chinaman bowler for maintaining his composure in hard times.

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Crowe said Narine has shaped up well for the Indian Premier League (IPL).

"Narine did not play in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) due to a slight finger injury. I think his performance level has always been of high quality. His batting is now part of his game.

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"But when you modify your action and be able to maintain the standard that he has done, credit should go to him," said Crowe, ahead of KKR's practice session at the Eden Gardens here on Tuesday.

The 43-year old, who helped Narine remodel his action (by using his whole body) after being reported for suspect action last year, said the Caribbean player had been looking for new ways to bamboozle the batsmen.  "With so much analysis, we are aware of that (his mystery being solved). His action changed slightly since last year in terms of hiding the ball. We are still working on him in terms of staying ahead of the batsmen. Even after IPL we have plans for next year with mystery ball, hiding the balls, whatever the batsman are picking up on."

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Crowe said Kuldeep's calmness held him in good stead. "I have been around KKR now for two-three years and it's been quite a bit of time working with Kuldeep and seeing his progression over the years. One thing that struck me is how grounded he is and how calm he is.

"Kuldeep has a big heart and he is prepared to get hit. If you scrutinise him, even if he is getting hit or on top, you see the same sort of approach and manner he has. It's very difficult to see what's going inside...People talk about mystery spin but that's what you see. What you don't see is his calmness. When the ground is full and he is bowling to a Virat (Kohli) or an AB (de Villiers) that calm is what makes you successful and Kuldeep has that," said Crowe.