The Mohawk is still there. Bling too. And that whole side? Yeah, he probably wears them in the shower. Everything Sunil Narine makes him box office.
But there is something missing.
He is one of the go-to bowlers of Kolkata Knight Riders. The Architect of Wickets and Wins. What he played on Thursday night was crucial for an all-round performance that keeps the play-off dream alive.
But there is something missing.
He came to bowl in the third over against Mumbai Indians. In the 10th over of the innings, he dismissed Rohit Sharma in his third over.
But there is something missing.
The wicket was the result of extra bounce. Rohit sets up for a slog-sweep which hits him and is caught at long-on.
But something is wrong - that's it!
Why is Naren relying on such a subtle thing as extra bounce?
think back. Back in 2012, when Kolkata Knight Riders contracted this miracle worker for more than 10 times his base price. In those days when no one knew how, how and in which direction the ball would turn. There is a curly man who these days is always roaming around the dugouts of Mumbai. Ask him about how he once tried to play a cover drive to the ball, a bolt of lightning that exploded right and Kuh-Lin threw it.
Narine was in his first over that night in 2013 when he made Sachin Tendulkar look like he was not. He was a spinner at the top of his game. A magician in whose hands the ball went from a piece of leather to the force of nature.
All that has changed now. Poor scrutiny of his bowling action - he has been in trouble at both the IPL and higher levels - has forced Narine to give up some of his moves. And it's been tough. Maybe even heavy. And why would a player of his quality choose to withdraw from the World Cup?
There are people who doubt the ICC and the way the police doubt the action. Saqlain Mushtaq, for one, often wonders how the 15-degree flex came to be the rule. And Mohammad Hafeez feels that there is something wrong with the way some bowlers are called repeatedly and some are not.
Narayan could not be bothered by conspiracy theories. Like Joey if he can no longer say 'how are you doing' or the courage if he can no longer be a cowardly dog, he must find a way to rediscover himself. And so this new avatar was born.
In the 2012 IPL, the way his balls got bigger, faster and turned all the way, he made a false shot once every three balls. Nine years later, relying on subtlety rather than mystery, Naren remains a nuisance, pulling off a false shot once every four deliveries.
Thus he went from conceding 11 runs in his first over to giving away just four, three and two (plus a leg bye) in his next three overs, while dismissing Rohit and sucking up precious momentum from Mumbai's one innings. . Was off to a flyer.
Taking the player of the match award, Naren said, "I have been playing a lot of cricket." I am happy to play as much as possible. I put a lot of work into my action and it keeps getting better and better. So just to be able to keep up the good work and hopefully contribute well to my team's victory."
But there is something missing.
And that's fine. Because although Naren was an absolute spectacle at its peak, what we have now could be just as good. He is a reminder that no matter what comes your way, you never give up.