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Cricket PlayersSRH's million-dollar-plus buy opens up on prospect of keeping wickets; 'As wicketkeeper, I'm more involved on the field'
Sunrisers Hyderabad, who finished eighth last season with just three wins from 14 games, will kick-start their campaign against Rajasthan Royals on March 29 at the MCA Stadium in Pune.
A mediocre Indian Premier League (IPL) season led to Punjab Kings parting ways with West Indies dasher Nicholas Pooran but he seemed to have rediscovered his lost mojo in the home assignment against India. The left-handed keeper-batter notched up three consecutive fifties in the T20I series last month, just days after being bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for a whopping ₹10.75 crore.
Pooran managed to score just 85 runs at a poor average of 7.72 for Punjab last year and endured a dismal T20 World Cup as well. But despite his poor run, Sunrisers Hyderabad went all out for the player, who became the most expensive West Indian buy at the 2022 IPL mega auction. He wasn't the first-choice keeper at Punjab with KL Rahul handling the glovework, but a shift to the Hyderabad-based outfit has opened new doors for Pooran, who now has a chance to keep the wickets in the impending season.
Pooran opened up on the prospect of keeping the wickets and admitted having a better involvement on the field with his gloves on. But he's looking forward to shining in Hyderabad colours, regardless of the opportunity to become the team's first-choice keeper.
"To me, it doesn't really matter. I enjoy wicketkeeping, and I do enjoy fielding as well. As a wicketkeeper, I'm more involved on the field, in terms of team spirit, trying to make that magic happen when things are not going our way. So, yes, I'm looking forward to the opportunity, whether I'm wicketkeeping or not," Pooran told ESPNCricinfo.
Pooran also spoke about his preferred batting position. He doesn't have an ideal batting spot but the dasher underlined his recent batting exploits for West Indies, which have come while batting at No. 3 in the order.
"I've just started to bat at No. 3 [for West Indies] and I'm having some success there. I'm enjoying it at the moment, but for me it's about doing exactly what the team wants. If I'm picked for a situation, a sitting role, I'll give my 100%. So for me, I don't have a favourite number, I know I can bat anywhere and contribute to the team," he further said.
West Indies all-rounder Romario Shepherd also sparked a bidding war at the auction, which was eventually won by Hyderabad, who bought him for a whopping sum of ₹7.75 crore. "He's very hard-working; he's someone I've seen over the last couple of years working hard at his craft. I believe he's a really smart cricketer, he's someone who will fight to the end and has that never-give-up attitude. We saw it against England, where he almost pulled that victory off for us," said Pooran on his fellow teammate.
Hyderabad, who finished eighth last season with just three wins from 14 games, will kick-start their campaign against Rajasthan Royals on March 29 at the MCA Stadium in Pune. SRH are slotted in Group B and will take on their fellow group members Chennai Super Kings, Punjab Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Gujarat Giants two times each.
