Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach Brendon McCullum was all praise for wicketkeeper Sheldon Jackson, who has been turning heads in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) with his sharp wicketkeeping skills. A veteran in the Indian domestic circuit, Jackson is yet to show his prowess with the bat but his quickfire wicketkeeping skills have been crucial in KKR recording two wins in their first three matches.
McCullum said that Jackson has grown a lot as a T20 batter over the last two years as well, saying that the 35-year-old is only behind Andre Russell in terms of ball-striking ability.
"Sheldon continues to get better and better. He is 35, but you wouldn’t know. His growth in the last two years has been significant. He has a good ball-striking ability. And very few players hit the ball as far as he does, he is not too far, if not the same, behind Andre Russell when he is striking the ball. I am sure with more opportunities, we will see a performance from Sheldon," the former New Zealand captain told reporters.
"The wicketkeeping skills have been superb. He has got an MS Dhoni sort of a feel about keeping; really fast hands, and an understanding of spin. He knows what the bowlers are doing. He is desperate to do well," said McCullum.
Jackson's wicketkeeping feats have earned rave reviews this season and led to many comparisons with Dhoni, who is widely rated as one of the greatest wicketkeeping-batsmen of all time. Batting great Sachin Tendulkar was among those who made the parallel.
{{/usCountry}}Jackson's wicketkeeping feats have earned rave reviews this season and led to many comparisons with Dhoni, who is widely rated as one of the greatest wicketkeeping-batsmen of all time. Batting great Sachin Tendulkar was among those who made the parallel.
{{/usCountry}}“That was an outstanding stumping. @ShelJackson’s speed reminded me of @msdhoni. Lightning-fast!! #CSKvKKR,” Tendulkar had said in a tweet.