IPL 2019 | Nicholas Pooran humbled by comparisons with power-hitter ‘Chris Gayle’
Nicholas Pooran has revealed that he is flattered after Kings XI Punjab coach Mike Hesson compared the youngster to his Windies teammate Chris Gayle. Pooran has further added that he drew inspiration from the likes of AB De Villiers, Virat Kohli and World Cup-winning captain MS Dhoni.
Nicholas Pooran debuted for the West Indies under-19 side in October 2013 during a bilateral series against the Bangladesh team and went on to play the 2014 Under-19 World Cup. Pooran was the team's vice-captain and primary wicket-keeper and scored 303 runs from six matches. Now 23, Pooran has been in demand over recent months in the T20 format due to his exploits with the Windies national team. Pooran, who scored a magnificent 25-ball 53 against India in a T20I at Chennai five months ago, was recently labelled as the ‘young Gayle’ by Kings XI Punjab head coach - Mike Hesson.
"There is no pressure as yet. Any tournament is an opportunity. I am in a new team and just want to give my best. And to be honest, I am just trying to be the best I can be. It has been wonderful so far. Everyone is gelling well. It is also wonderful to have someone (Gayle) from back home as your teammate. I have picked his brains in the past and looking forward to
Pooran was purchased for a mammoth sum of Rs. 4.2 crore in the 2019 IPL auction held earlier this year. The hard-hitting youngster added that his ‘360-degree’ game is inspired by batting greats - AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli. He also added that he draws a lot of inspiration from MS Dhoni.
"I do look at a lot of cricketers. Virat and AB are some of the players I like to watch and learn from. I like the way how they adapt to different surfaces, different match situations. Even Chris for that matter. Amongst the other left-handed batsmen, Brian Lara is another obvious name. Being a keeper myself, I am a big Dhoni fan as he is the best in the business. I feel I am getting better and better (even when it comes to
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