IPL 2021 | Shahrukh Khan reminds us of a young Kieron Pollard, compares Virender Sehwag

When Punjab Kings got involved in a three-way tussle with Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals, it was evident that the Tamil Nadu all-rounder was heading his way to Punjab. The franchise had put their trust in the SMAT-winning all-rounder, with their batting coach Wasim Jaffer later stating that he was one of their leading choices to fill the middle-order gap. 

At 5.25 crore, many saw him as a steal, especially considering his performances in the domestic circuit. Batting at No.6 in IPL, the lanky batsman scored 107 runs in 8 matches, where he struck several lusty blows, at a strike rate of 127.38. On several occasions, he was put under the task of rebuilding a floundering top-order for the franchise. However, that didn’t stop former Indian opener Virender Sehwag from comparing the Windies all-rounder Kieron Pollard to him. 

"He reminds us of a young Pollard, when he had just come into the IPL. Everyone was running after him, because he could just stand and hit sixes off bowlers. Shahrukh has the same quality," Sehwag told Cricbuzz.

"Although he has played those little innings and hasn't played a big knock. But the lower you bat in the line-up, there's only so much he can do,” he added.

For Punjab, there was only one innings where the right-hander had got plenty of time to bat, in the clash against Chennai, where he scored a 36-ball 47. Sehwag, however, insisted that if the Tamil Nadu man got to bat higher, there is a ‘real’ possibility of him scoring a century. Sehwag also credited SRK's attitude of not thinking too much about the previous delivery. 

"If he can be given a chance to bat higher, the day he clicks, he could even hit a century. He is the kind of player for whom it doesn't matter what happened the previous ball. Many batsmen think 'Oh, I got beaten, this one turned'. Those who don't think about the previous ball, they have a higher success rate," he added.