Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Gautam Gambhir on Sunday said Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn's power hitting at the top was the best partnership he has seen in his long cricket career.
KKR won by six wickets against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in a rain-interrupted tie at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium where Narine and Lynn stitched together a 105-run stand for the first wicket in just 6.1 overs. Lynn scored 50 after returning from a shoulder injury which ruled him out for a month, while Narine hit a 17-ball 54 as the visitors overhauled RCB's total of 158/4 with ease.
The association took the game away from RCB who, after being asked to bat, put up 158/6 on the board in the allotted 20 overs.
"This is the best partnership I've seen in my entire career," Gambhir said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
"I haven't seen such a partnership to be honest. It was an unbelievable effort. You don't see teams getting hundred in six overs," the southpaw, who scored 14, said.
On Lynn, Gambhir said the Australian left-hander is the hardest hitter of the cricket ball at present.
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"He (Lynn) must be the hardest hitter in international cricket. The way he played today after coming from injury shows how mentally strong he is," he said.
Gamnbhir said it was the team management's call to send Narine and Lynn to open the batting with the left-right combo.
"It was the team management's call (to get Narine opening). It was some of the best hitting I've seen," he said of the West Indian off-spinner, who has surprised one and all with his skills with the bat this edition.
KKR are now second in the eight-team points table with 16 points from 12 matches and play Kings XI Punjab next in Mohali on Tuesday.
--IANS
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