Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene termed mystery spinner Sunil Narine as an "exciting prospect who is going through a honeymoon period."
Jayawardene, who has seen the emergence of Ajantha Mendis as a "mystery spinner" and then turning out to be a cannon fodder for international batsman, feels that with passage of time Narine’s bowling would be analysed more and more. "The contest with Narine will be exciting tomorrow. He is going through a honeymoon period. But more and more he plays, batsmen will start analysing him and then it will be his real test. The key will be whether he is improving as a bowler from what he is right now," Jayawardene said on the eve of Delhi’s match against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Jayawardene has got only one half-century till now but he didn't seem perturbed with his form. "I have been hitting the ball very well. It's been a bit of an up-and-down for me but I know it would get sorted out once I spend more time in the middle."
Although David Warner is all set to open with Virender Sehwag, Jayawardene kept the cards close to his chest. "I would like you guys to keep guessing till tomorrow." When asked whether Warner would find it difficult to replicate Kevin Pietersen's blazing form, Jayawardene, who is also Delhi’s vice-captain, said each player has its own skill-sets and no one can be a direct replacement for any other player.
"If Viru [Sehwag] gets injured, then can someone replacing him be called an ideal replacement? The answer is 'No'. Similarly Kevin had different strengths to what Warner has. The idea is to be flexible and change the way we play to suit the combination."
Jayawardene also called KKR "an all-round side." "Gauti [Gambhir] has led from the front. But again their top-order has scored a lot. It will be an exciting contest."
Jayawardene also maintained that they were not taking anything for granted and their aim was to maintain their top spot in the league. "Everyone is trying to improve their game everyday so there won't be any complacency," Jayawardene said, adding, "We want to be at the top when the group stage finishes and we are going to put pressure on ourselves to accomplish that."
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