IND vs WI 2022 | Surya is a world-class player, asserts Kieron Pollard

Kieron Pollard was in awe of the Player of the Series Suryakumar Yadav in the virtual press conference after being clean swept in the T20I series against India, on February 20 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Pollard termed Suryakumar as a “world-class player", and further added all batters of the modern game should look to emulate his standards.

“Surya is a world-class player. I had the opportunity to play at Mumbai Indians with him since he first came in in 2011. Great to see he has grown a lot since then. He is doing great things for himself and India as a 360-degree player. All batters can take a page out of his book,” Pollard told the press.

Suryakumar struck a 31-ball 65, including seven sixes and one four, in the third T20I on Sunday. It helped India post 184/5 after they were asked to bat first. Then Indian bowlers, led by Harshal Patel, restricted West Indies to 167/9 to win the contest by 17 runs. With the brisk innings, Suryakumar finished as the leading run-scorer for India in the series.

Pollard also hailed Nicholas Pooran for having notched to his third successive fifty during the final T20I. Pooran, Pollard’s deputy, is now only the second player to achieve the feat against India in T20Is, after New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum. 

“Nicholas was outstanding... three fifties in three games. That’s the consistency you ask for. At the end of the day, he is a young player who is talented in his own right. He is getting there. We don’t want to put any undue pressure and responsibilities on him. But he has what it takes to be a force to reckon with in international cricket, not only as a batter but also as a leader.” Pollard said.

With 184 runs at a strike rate of 140.46, Pooran finished as the leading run-getter of the series by a colossal margin.