The rising start of West Indies cricket, Nicholas Pooran celebrates his 25th birthday on Friday (October 2), and wishes are pouring in from all over the world. Hailing from Trinidad and Tobago, Pooran’s journey makes a perfect script for a Hollywood blockbuster. After meeting a car accident in 2015, the left-handed batsman was unsure whether he would ever walk again. However, his sheer determination and hard work didn’t just bring the southpaw back on the field but also made him a star. Mere one year old in international cricket, Pooran has emerged as a vital cog West Indies in white-ball cricket and his records are staggering too. As of now, Pooran is representing Kings XI Punjab in Dream11 Indian Premier League. Nicholas Pooran Arguably Pulls Off Best Fielding Effort in IPL History!

KXIP bagged Pooran’s services in IPL 2019 auctions for a whopping price of 4.2 crore. With the presence of Chris Gayle, Sam Curran and David Miller in the team, Pooran didn’t get many opportunities in IPL 2019. Despite the fact, he has also played some impressive cameos in limited chances. As the swashbuckling batsman turns a year older, let’s look at some of his memorable moments in Indian Premier League. Nicholas Pooran’s Gravity-Defying Save Against Rajasthan Royals Leaves Cricket World Awestruck! Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Others Hail KXIP Star.

1. Gravity-Defying Catch

Few days back, the Caribbean star became a talk of the town after making a jaw-dropping safe against Rajasthan Royals in Sharjah. The incident took place in the eighth over of the second innings when Sanju Samson went for a big shot against Murugan Ashwin. The shot was connected nicely, and the ball looked all set to clear the deep mid-wicket boundary.

However, Pooran defied gravity managed to stop the ball. He didn’t just manage to take the catch but also pull the ball while hanging in the air. The effort was undoubtedly special as fans couldn’t believe this guy once ruled out his chances of walking on the ground.

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2. Fiery Cameo

Before making the famous safe against Rajasthan, Pooran had also played a fiery knock in the first innings. Coming to bat in the 19th over, the left-handed batsman didn’t have any time to settle his feet. However, he went after the bowlers from the outset and unleashed mayhem in Sharjah. With the help of three sixes and a boundary, Pooran scored 25 off just eight balls as KXIP piled up a mountain of 223/3, which unfortunately didn’t prove to be enough as Rajasthan won the game by four wickets.

3. Rescuing Team after Top-Order Collapse

Pooran was just a couple of matches old when KXIP met Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2019. Batting first in Mohali, Punjab lost KL Rahul and Chris Gayle inside the powerplay overs. However, Pooran came into bat at number four and pulled things back for his side. After settling feet, the southpaw shifted gears and scored 48 runs off just 27 balls. Riding on his efforts, KXIP scored 183/6, but KKR won the game by seven wickets.

With IPL 2020 still being in the first half, Pooran will undoubtedly get a lot of opportunities to showcase his mettle.  The swashbuckling batsman will next be seen in action when the KL Rahul-led team will take on three-time champions Chennai Super Kings at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on October 3.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 02, 2020 08:04 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).