Pooran was the most expensive West Indian player at the IPL 2022 auction.
West Indies wicketkeeper-batter Nicholas Pooran is excited to represent his new franchise, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), in the upcoming 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, starting on March 26.
Pooran had a poor IPL 2021 season with the Punjab Kings (PBKS), averaging just 7.75 with the bat, despite his poor outing; Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) placed a huge bet on the West Indies star, spending INR 10.75 crores in the mega auction to secure his services for the upcoming IPL 2022.
Ahead of the upcoming IPL 15, Pooran stressed that one bad season is not going to change the player in him and now he is keen to give his all for the SRH in the upcoming T20 event.
Pooran was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo: “Just because I had one bad season, it’s not going to change the player I am. I am doing pretty well in international cricket and everyone sees that. For me it’s about giving back to my team — the Sunrisers have invested a lot in me and so I just want to give my all for them — to me, it’s about being the best version of me.”
The left-hander further insisted that he has learned a lot from the IPL 2021 and is now a better player. He explained, “Things like this happen; everyone goes through patches in their career. First game last year, I got a first-ball duck, then the next game, I got a second-ball duck. Eventually, I went out to bat and didn’t even face a ball, got run out (laughs). I’m not dwelling on it too much, I believe I am a much better player now, and I learned a lot from that IPL season.”
On being asked about the pressure of the big price, the wicket-keeper batter said: “As a professional player, sometimes I guess it does, especially when you’re not doing well, the media targets you, a lot of fans criticize you, so it [the fee] definitely does play a part. But as a professional, it’s your job to put that noise behind you and just try to perform for the team.”
Meanwhile, Pooran believes that every player has technical flaws, but for him, it’s more about the mental thinking and clarity in his game, than the technical skill.
He said, “Every player has technical flaws, but to me it’s more mental, having that clarity in my game. Once I can get into that clear space, I think I’ll be all right. As you can see in my last few T20 games, the last three international series, I’ve started to get into that mindset, knowing exactly what I want to do. So hopefully it continues and people can stop saying I need to keep proving myself.”
Pooran is also looking forward to working with West Indian legend Brian Lara, who is the batting coach of the SRH for the upcoming IPL 2022. He signed off by saying, “Yeah, we have had a couple of conversations in the recent past. He’s simply superb, amazing when it comes to batting and how he views the game. So yeah, looking forward to that opportunity to work with him.”
(With IANS Inputs)