Nicholas Pooran almost single-handedly destroyed Kolkata Knight Riders’ bowling during his unbeaten 87 off 36 balls on Tuesday. The Lucknow Super Giants batsman smashed seven boundaries and eight sixes at Eden Gardens.
The Orange Cap holder (288 runs) has moulded himself into a six-hitting machine with 24 strikes in five matches.
Pooran, 29, spoke to The Telegraph before leaving the city. Excerpts:
Q: You have made six hitting look easy. What is the secret?
A: For me, there’s no secret. I’m just a believer in hard work. I’ve been playing T20 cricket for the last 10 years... T20 cricket is a fast-paced game. It’s evolving every year and I’m happy to evolve with it. It’s all about hard work and being really patient as well, understanding what I have to work on, whether it’s short balls, whether it’s full and wide balls, whether it’s length balls, off spin, leg spin or chinaman bowlers.
Q: Do you go out planning to tonk sixes?
A: I don’t go out to hit sixes but I try my best. If the ball is in my slot, I try to go for it. And being present has been really important for me.
Q: Do you plan your innings like going after a particular bowler or anything like that?
A: Yeah, I do have my game plans... Which bowlers I want to attack, which bowlers I don’t want to attack based on my record. And I try to stick to that template as long as possible. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t happen...
Q: Do you work on your bat speed or hand-eye coordination?
A: I think hand-eye coordination is more important. I’ve never really worked on my bat speed. I’ve never done anything specific, but I have hit a lot of balls in the nets, so maybe that has helped me a lot. And I grew up playing a lot of wind ball cricket, which is I guess what you guys call tennis ball cricket here. So from that perspective it has helped me with a fast bat swing.
Q: Since last season you have been pretty consistent. Any specific reason?
A: It comes with experience, getting mature. I have understood the pressures of the IPL, especially for overseas players. That was something I needed to understand, how to deal with the expectations, performances, being consistent. And that’s something I embrace.
Q: Your experience at LSG?
A: Coming to LSG has really helped me. I came here with a price tag (₹16 crore in 2023 auction) and I was given that freedom to be myself. And I felt like I really embraced that. At LSG, they allowed me to be who I am and that has obviously helped me a lot.
This year they have given me that responsibility and opportunity higher in the batting order to express myself and be dominant as much as possible.
Q: But how different is LSG from other franchises?
A: All franchises have their way of doing things. LSG is a new franchise and we’ve been good in the IPL, but want to be better... They backed me a lot, they supported me, they trusted my skill set.
And then the owner... We have a good relationship. I just felt like every player needs that sort of comfort. Need to know that the owner is a coach and trusts you.
Q: The owners have faced a lot of flak recently?
A: They will have opinions... Yes. They pick you, but they’re obviously picking you to do a job... I understand this... that it’s no longer sport, it’s business now. And I just like the fact that, okay Nicholas, this is your job. You need to do it well. If you don’t do it well, then you face the consequences...I just like the fact that it’s really professional...
Q: Do you think franchise cricket will take over?
A: Of course, it’s already taken over. Why not? Obviously Test cricket is the ultimate cricket, but T20 cricket is definitely taking over every cricket nation. The players get paid well, the fans come out, they support cricket. It’s evolving.
Q: How is T20 different from ODIs? Is T20 tougher?
A: T20 cricket is definitely difficult. If you’re not batting in positions 1, 2 and 3 and maybe 4, it’s difficult. Again, the team situation... In ODI cricket, you have time, you have more gaps. T20 cricket is really difficult, but you need to drop the ego, put the work in, accept what the team wants you to do and try your best...
Q: Next year is the World Cup in India, so will this experience help?
A: Yeah, I’ve been a part of the IPL for the last seven-eight years... I always like playing here in India. So, yeah, let’s see what the future holds.