‘I feel Gautam Gambhir and KL Rahul should give Nicholas Pooran a free hand’: Mohammad Kaif
Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif feels that Lucknow Super Giant (LSG) batter needs to be given a free hand skipper KL Rahul and Gautam Gambhir for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season.
Speaking on Star Sports Kaif said, “I feel Gautam Gambhir and KL Rahul should give Pooran a free hand to play because a player like this cannot be pushed beyond a limit. You also cannot expect them to win you every match.”
The West Indian wicketkeeper batter Pooran despite going for hefty sums in the past could not deliver with the bat. “You can set proper expectations with him, like if he is here to play 14-15 league matches, and if he makes Lucknow win 4-5 games, it’s sufficient”, Kaif said.
Kaif further went on to say, “Every time a player like Pooran loses his wicket, we think he didn’t do well. But a power-hitter like Pooran requires mentoring, be supportive with gestures like an arm around the shoulder and motivate them to bring their natural game to the next match”
In 47 IPL matches, Pooran could only score 912 runs which included four 50’s. In addition to Pooran LSG brought Daniel Sams, Amit Mishra, Romario Shepherd, Naveen Ul Haq, Jaydev Unadkat, Yash Thakur, Swapnil Singh, Yudhvir Charak and Prerak Mankad for the 2023 season.
LSG finished third in the table last season and was eliminated in the eliminator Royal Challengers Banglore. This time around with an improved squad LSG will be looking to compete for the title again.
Chennai Super Kings will take on Gujarat Giants in Ahmedabad on March 31st in the IPL opener.
