“Getting out at the wrong time is something I want to get better at” - Nicholas Pooran

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) batter Nicholas Pooran has stated that getting out at the wrong time is something he wants to get better at. He, however, added that he was happy that his team ended up on the winning side in the game against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Monday, April 10.

LSG beat RCB by one wicket in a nail-biting finish at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Batting first after losing the toss, Bangalore put up 212/2 on the board as Virat Kohli (61 off 44), Faf du Plessis (79 off 46), and Glenn Maxwell (59 off 29) played impressive knocks.

In the chase, Pooran (62 off 19), Marcus Stoinis (65 off 30), and ‘Impact Player’ Ayush Badoni (30 off 24) lifted LSG to a memorable win. Pooran was dismissed at the end of the 17th over, with LSG’s score at 189.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, the left-handed batter admitted that he was disappointed at not finishing the game. He said:

“Getting out at the wrong time is something I want to get better at - winning games, being there till the end. Tonight [Monday], I fell short and bit disappointed for that, but happy that we could get the ‘W’.

Looking back at the tough times during his stint with the Punjab Kings (PBKS), the West Indian batter recalled how they just couldn’t get over the line in the last over. The 27-year-old said:

“I remember, when we played for Kings XI (Punjab), we had some instances where we were chasing four runs in the last over, two runs in the last over and it came down to the last ball. But tonight was amazing. The fans obviously got a wonderful game. Both teams held their nerves.”

Having gone through numerous ups and downs in his career, Pooran opined that experience matters a lot when it comes to doing well in the T20 format. He explained:

“T20 is a difficult game. Experience plays a massive role. I have struggled for the last 6-7 years in finishing games. I made bad decisions at the wrong time. It’s just a learning curve for me. That was my journey and I am just happy that I can learn from it and come up with a match-winning performance.”

After Pooran’s dismissal, LSG suffered a lower-order collapse. However, they got home by scampering a bye off the last ball.

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“I wanted to hit a couple out of the park” - Nicholas Pooran

Pooran’s innings on Monday was a wonderful exhibition of clean striking. He hit four fours and seven sixes to stun RCB. Reflecting on the special knock, the LSG batter commented:

“Eventually, I didn’t really think about the situation. I just felt like, if it (ball) was in my zone, I wanted to hit a couple out of the park and that got me going. I just felt like I had to take my chance against the leg-spinner to get my innings going. That was the risk in my innings and everything flowed for me after that.

“One of the good things about our team is that we can hit spinners and pacers as well. In T20 cricket, you need to be able to be dominant. Guys score 230-240 and it’s being chased down now."

Describing the Chinnaswamy pitch as a really good cricket surface, Pooran asserted that LSG were confident of chasing 213. He stated:

“Mark Wood bowled an excellent last over, kept us in the game. I think, psychologically, chasing 220-odd would have put additional pressure on us. But 213, we felt like the momentum was still on our side.”

Despite being hit for a six by Maxwell, Wood conceded only nine runs in RCB’s 20th over and even knocked over the former.