Some might say that 29 is still very young but I had played a lot of cricket for West Indies: Nicholas Pooran [Exclusive]

Published - 01 Nov 2025, 18:16 IST | Updated - 01 Nov 2025, 19:20 IST

Nicholas Pooran, one of the fiercest batters in T20 cricket, shocked the world when he retired from international cricket earlier this year at the age of 29. However, this has allowed him to invest more time in franchise leagues around the world.

During an exclusive interview with CricTracker, the southpaw said that he played a lot of cricket for the West Indies, contrary to the belief of some fans. He also revealed that playing softball cricket during his early days helped him develop a good bat swing, something that stayed with him when he transitioned into leather-ball cricket.

Like Rishabh Pant, his Lucknow Super Giants captain, Pooran suffered a terrible car accident. The Trinidad-born shed light on his mindset after the unfortunate incident and subsequent rehabilitation.

You announced your retirement from international cricket at age 29. What was the biggest factor behind that decision?

Honestly, it was just time for me personally. I felt like I've played a lot of cricket for the West Indies as well. But some might say that 29 is still very young. But I've played a lot of cricket for the West Indies. I just felt like it was time for me to move to the next stage of my career.

With close to 10K runs and 685 sixes, you’re among the most destructive hitters in the format. Where does your six-hitting ability come from?

I'm just really blessed, to be honest. I played a lot of softball cricket when I was younger, and I feel like that’s where I got my bat swing from, playing in the backyards. It blended nicely into my hardball game later on. But I also put a lot of work into my craft. In my younger days, I practiced hitting a lot of sixes. With a better understanding of the sport and batting, everything started to come together: a mix of footwork, bat swing, and timing.

You’ve excelled in leagues around the world, from the IPL to CPL to MLC. How do you adapt your game to different conditions and teams?

It's all about professionalism. I just feel like I have a lot of pride and I want to perform every single game. I have failed a lot of times in different conditions. With that knowledge and experience gained at a young age, I felt like I could use that to my advantage now. Understanding different conditions, the culture of where I go as well. Different team environments. That has helped me to play under pressure as well.

You were appointed captain of MI New York for the 2025 MLC season. How has leadership changed your perspective as a cricketer?

It definitely helped me grow. I had a couple of months stint with the West Indies team as captain. That didn't go as I planned. I was quite young. I didn't understand how to deal with my players, expectations, board members. It was tough, especially at a young age. But I learned from that. I understand the different systems. I understand how to go about it as a cricketer personally. I feel like it's quite easy to just lead. But for me personally, I felt like when I'm on the cricket field, I don't have to feel like I'm the captain.

But, when I'm batting, I'm the Nicholas Pooran. That's something that changed for me. I just did what I had to do, which was my job, which is most important. Everything else flows. The ability to communicate to players, not to be selfish. Lead from the front, try to have conversations, get players to trust you. Try to understand their side as well and work with them. Too many times as captains, we think it's really easy to get things done. But everyone is different. Everyone goes about their jobs in a different way.

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You’ve faced adversity too, including a serious car accident early in your career. How did you rebuild mentally and physically to reach this level?

Again, everything happens for a reason. It did happen to me at a young age. That built my character. That built my mental toughness. Helped me mature. Not only on the cricket field, but it also taught me about how this life actually is. It's really difficult at times. It's very challenging.

But I didn't question why it happened to me. I accepted it and I moved on. I just felt like God has his own plans for me. I can't change that. I just had to continue to believe in my dreams. Continue to work hard. At the end of the day, when you work hard, you do get success somewhere in your life. For me personally, there was a lot of work ethic, and that next opportunity that I got. And that's exactly what I did.