He has all types of shots: Gautam Gambhir compares KXIP player with AB de Villiers
Former India batsman Gautam Gambhir said that the Caribbean wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran is the player, he would like to watch in the upcoming season of Indian Premier League in UAE. Pooran was roped in by Kings XI Punjab last season in IPL where he represented them in 7 games scoring 168 runs.
Gambhir claims that AB de Villiers is considered as a 360-degree player, while, Pooran is also one such player who has all type of shots.
“For me, Nicholas Pooran is the young player I would like to watch in this IPL. We talk about AB de Villiers as a 360-degree player but Nicholas Pooran has all types of shots. He can play the reverse sweep, normal sweep and is capable of playing the big shots,” Gambhir said during a discussion on Star Sports’ chat show Cricket Connected.
Before the auction, KXIP appointed former India captain and coach Anil Kumble as the Director of Cricket Operations and Head Coach of Kings XI Punjab. Gambhir further said that he is confident that KXIP coach Anil Kumble will bring the best out of Pooran.
“So, such a player, when he plays under a coach like Anil Kumble, I have full confidence that Anil Kumble will be able to extract the best out of him. A great coach, who had won Mumbai Indians the title, I would want to see what he can do with the Kings XI.”
Former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris feels Pooran needs to be given a bigger role from KXIP. Styris said that Pooran should bat up the order in order to play the majority of deliveries in the innings.
“Players like Nicholas Pooran, who we have seen in the IPL, need to have bigger roles for their side. I think for Kings XI Punjab to have a big tournament, he needs to be given real responsibility,” Styris said. “He needs to be moved up, not quite to the top of the order but certainly given a majority of the deliveries in the innings.”
Kings XI Punjab will begin their IPL 2020 campaign against Delhi Capitals in Dubai on the fifth day of the tournament. KXIP will play nine matches in Dubai, three in Sharjah, and two in Abu Dhabi.
