IND vs WI | India is tough team to beat but we put up a tough fight, insists Nicholas Pooran
After coming close to win the series, Nicholas Pooran has stated that India are an extremely tough competitor but Windies are proud of their performances in the series. The Kings XI Punjab wicket-keeper has also added that they could have won both the ODI and T20I series but missed out on it.
It was a special series for West Indies for the kind of resistance they showed in their six-match sojourn to mark a new era under Kieron Pollard's captaincy. While Shai Hope continued to make merry in Asia, taking his ODI average over 100 in this part of the World, Shimron Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran put up a stunning and mature display to ensure that India had to put up their best to secure the series bragging rights. After a 47-ball 75 in Vizag, Pooran did an encore of it in Cuttack too, with a mature 64-ball 89. It gave Windies hope as Pooran said that they are proud of the fight shown by his team.
"India is a very tough team to beat but we put up a tough fight against them. We definitely are building. India is one of the strongest teams in the world and they proved it yet again today. We came here, we showed fight. We could have won both the ODI and T20I series. There are better things to come, but we're taking it day by day and eventually we will get to where we want to," Pooran said in the post-match press conference in Cuttack, reported India Today.
It was, of course, fitting that Pooran had Kieron Pollard at the other end of a maniac partnership on Sunday as Windies pushed their way above 300. When Pooran had suffered a car accident at the age of 19, it was Pollard who got Pooran an agent and encouraged him to grow his game by playing T20 cricket around the world. After stints in Indian Premier League, Global T20 Canada, Caribbean Premier League, Bangladesh Premier League and Pakistan Super League, Pooran has now become a T20 superstar.
"He's been like a big brother, a father figure to me. He's been there [for me] since I returned to cricket from the accident. He gave me an opportunity, which I am thankful for. We know each other really well and we're good friends on and off the field. So we complement each other while batting. We play for the same club and same franchise back home. So, it's understanding the wicket, the situation of the game and just execute the skills," Pooran added.
