Nicholas Pooran is finally becoming the complete T20 batter he was always touted to be

T20 cricket has become a vital and inescapable part of the men’s calendar. It is, thus, not unwarranted to wonder what an ideal T20 batter would look like. You’d expect him to be a swashbuckling presence against pace, and be just as destructive against spin. An ability to bat in different phases would not be bad either. If that batter were to be a left-hander, to muddle the opposition’s match-ups, nothing quite like it.

Close your eyes, visualize this said batter and there are high chances that the image forming will be that of Nicholas Pooran, an extremely gifted and talented T20 batter, yet, one who has struggled for consistency over the years.

Now, though, it seems all of that has changed. It could either be a simple case of him gaining more experience, or something more nuanced, like a technical tweak or a different mindset. Whatever that may be, Pooran has become the purest T20 version of himself, and when in that sort of form, there are not many better than him in the world.

At the IPL auction in December 2022, there were a few eyebrows raised when the Lucknow Super Giants broke the bank for the wicketkeeper-batter. He had shown glimpses of his talent in the past in the IPL but nothing to indicate that he was worth the ₹16-crore fee that LSG ended up paying.

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Nicholas Pooran has been brilliant in T20s in 2023

Pooran, however, answered those critics emphatically, producing a string of extraordinary displays – the best of which was perhaps reserved for the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

That game has gone down in IPL folklore for the way it wound up and understandably so. But it also comprised of Pooran ripping a decent-looking RCB bowling unit to shreds, en route to a 19-ball 62.

Later in the season, the Kolkata Knight Riders came in for similar punishment as LSG booked a spot in the playoffs – a spot that was, in large part, down to Pooran. Not just because of how well he was batting, but also because of the pressure LSG’s misfiring top-order usually put on him and Marcus Stoinis.

He ended up scoring 358 runs throughout the edition – his highest-ever tally in the IPL, with those runs coming at a strike rate in excess of 170 – again, his best-ever tally in a season. If the IPL, because of how many high-profile cricketers participate, is considered the gold standard in franchise cricket, well, Pooran certainly aced it this year.

The best part is that his IPL exploits only seemed to hint at an overall upturn in fortunes, as opposed to being a glorious aberration. He has since featured in the inaugural edition of the MLC, powering MI New York to the title, and capping off their campaign with an incredible 55-ball 137 in the final. Throughout the tournament, he mustered 388 runs, which came at an average of a shade under 65 and a strike rate in excess of 167.

Those T20s, unfortunately, did not have official status, meaning that they do not really reflect in his 2023 T20 record. Even without them, though, he has stunning numbers this year – scoring 560 runs in 22 innings at an average of a tick under 30 and a strike rate close to 170. When including the MLC, the average zings up to 37.92, and the strike rate hovers around the 168 mark.

In whatever little T20I cricket Pooran has played, he has been equally authoritative. At the time of writing, he has 167 runs in five innings and is striking at 162.13. Three of those knocks (two against India and one against South Africa at Johannesburg) have been hugely influential in his team winning.

Perhaps the most impressive bit is how Pooran has juggled different roles and has still maintained consistency. For MI New York, he batted quite often at No. 3, walking out inside the powerplay and dominating.

For the West Indies, he has played the No. 4 role, which entails attacking the powerplay on occasions, coupled with milking the middle overs. When at LSG, he was this buccaneering late middle-overs enforcer, who would stride out and take down both spin and pace.

Thus, in many ways, Pooran is as close to cracking the T20 code as he has ever been. It might come as a surprise that it has taken so long because he is such a clean striker of the ball and has such a wide gamut of strokes. Now that it is happening, though, he certainly warrants a place when discussing the premier T20 batters on the planet.

Of course, in these conversations, international performances play a role, and that is why Jos Buttler and Suryakumar Yadav are probably still ahead of him, at least on that metric. In terms of pure ability, though, and the inclination to tilt the scales of any particular game in a trice, Pooran remains unrivaled.

Speaking of internationals, India have already experienced it first-hand in the opening two games of their T20I series, where Pooran has looked a class above the rest, making it seem like he is batting on different surfaces altogether and not feeling any sort of pressure at all.

In the second T20I, the West Indies were staring down the barrel at 2-2, yet, Pooran managed to blaze away to 42 off 22 inside the powerplay before going on to make 67 off 40. The hosts wobbled a bit after his dismissal but he had, because of his effervescent stroke play, effectively won them the game a long time back.

That is what Pooran is – a genuine match-winner. Almost everyone, who has set eyes on him once, would know that he is capable of such heroics. In fact, most would have even touted him to be this good. Now, that is happening more often, and more regularly.

For those with an allegiance to Pooran and the teams he represents, there will not be a more pleasing sight. For the opposition, well, not quite.