Accidents were unfortunate: Pooran

Dashers in their own right, Nicholas Pooran and Rishabh Pant easily fall into the bracket of batters who bring fans at turnstiles of stadiums across cricketing universe due to their sheer ability to send the ball soaring into the stands, at will.

The magic the two batters create on the 22-yard strip would have lost, had they not recovered from life-threatening accidents but their will power brought them back to the field much earlier than expected.

Ask Pooran about the ‘common thread’ that binds him and his Lucknow Super Giants skipper Pant, and the world number one T20 batter from the Caribbean just wants to count his blessings.

In January, 2015, Pooran, all of 19, suffered a near-fatal car accident in St Mary’s Trinidad. He was wheel-chair bound for considerable period with multiple surgeries on his knees and ankle.

In December 2022, Pant survived a horrific car crash when he was driving back home to Rourkee from Delhi.

“Even before the incident we (him and Pant) had a good relationship. We always connect. We always chat, get together whenever we can. If he’s in the Caribbean or if I’m here,” Pooran told PTI in an exclusive interview.

“Accident is just something which was really unfortunate in our respective journeys but the bright side is we’re here playing cricket today. And that is a wonderful feeling. But yeah, we share our experiences. We try to help each other as much as we can,” Pooran added.

Pooran has had a few seasons now at LSG and he feels that team owner Dr. Sanjiv Goenka has been very supportive.

“He’s been brilliant when it comes to supporting the guys. He allowed the guys to make the decisions, based on the cricket. That’s what I have felt so far. The owners have given the guys enough opportunities and obviously that has an impact on the game for the whole team and that was wonderful.

“Obviously it’s business end and with his backing, hopefully the guys can come up trumps now,” said Pooran, who is third (377 runs at SR of 204) in the list of run-getters behind Sai Sudharsan (417 at SR of 152) and Virat Kohli (392 at SR of 144).

Batting at No. 3 helped

Pooran had scored 499 runs for LSG last season at a healthy strike-rate of 178 plus but he was batting either at No.5 or 6 instead of No. 3 this season, which he feels had made a lot of difference.

So, has there been a change in the mindset from last couple of seasons?

“My mindset is the same. Try to win games whenever I get an opportunity. Obviously, it is a different role batting at number 5 or 6.

“Batting at No. 3, I get an opportunity to face more balls. That’s something I wanted to capitalise on especially going into the Powerplay. So it’s all about taking the opportunity and doing what the team requires,” said Pooran.

The West Indian is the only batter with a 200 plus strike-rate among the current top-10 run-getters in IPL.

Batting style suitable for Indian wickets

Not many overseas batters taste instant success on sub-continental tracks but Pooran has been a smash-hit with his ultra-aggressive game and ability to hit sixes at will.

Ask about his recipe for success, and he cites the similarity with the pitches back in the Caribbean islands.

“I’ve played in India for a while now. The tracks are a bit similar like what we get back home, where the pitches do not have a lot of bounce. But these are actually good wickets to bat on so that’s something for me I felt like would be in my favour,” said the 29-year-old.

Embracing the conditions does help in lifting one’s game.

“I like playing here in India as well. So there’s extra motivation especially in this environment. The fans, they want you to do well and performing here is any cricketer’s dream.”

Playing spinners, generating unimaginable bat-speed

Pooran is a rare overseas batter, who is equally adept at playing slow bowlers as much as he loves sending the speed merchants on a leather hunt.

“I try to pick bowlers from their hands, try to pick their line and length. And I want to be in my zone, back myself hundred percent and try to smash it for a six.”

About his now famous bat-speed, he feels that it comes naturally to him.

“I have no secrets behind my bat speed. I’ve been asked that question a million times. I’ve never worked on it, I work just like everyone else. I’ve put in the work in the nets as well. So it’s just understanding your craft.” (Agencies)

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