Kolkata Knight Riders' go-to-man

It isn’t just the ample figure in his wickets column that makes him Gambhir’s go-to man, just take a look at his season’s economy rate — 6.00. And despite his lack of variations, Abdulla has learnt the art of survival in the pro-batsman world by taking advice from the best in the business — his Kolkata team mates.

“Gambhir is the best player of spin, Yusuf Pathan is the best hitter in the world and Wasim Akram (bowling coach) is the original trickster. By just talking to them, you get to learn so much about the game,” he says.