Kieron Pollard knows Indian conditions like the back of his hand. That could come in handy for the West Indies cricket team on its tour of India, according to two-time T20 World Cup-winning captain Daren Sammy, who has led the World Giants into the final of the Legends League Cricket, to be played here on Saturday.
“He has been playing in India for so long (at the IPL) and knows the conditions very well,” said Sammy, who was Pollard’s captain during the West Indies’ successful campaign at the World T20 in 2012. “Hopefully that experience and knowledge he could bring on to the field,” Sammy said.
He said the West Indies will fancy its chances against India in the white-ball series, though India has always been strong at home. “They have got some really good one-day players, but we have unearthed some new talent in the ongoing series against England,” he said. “I think the West Indies would do well, but you would need the guys to take wickets with the new ball.”
He regards Rohit Sharma highly as a captain. “Kohli has been exceptional with his performances on the field, but Rohit is an excellent captain, very motivational,” he said.
“I have watched him in the IPL. If you look at the IPL captains, you see they have grown — like Dhoni, Rohit, Gambhir… All these guys manage to get performances from their teammates. When their teams need, they perform, like Dhoni did in the playoffs (in the last edition),” Sammy pointed out.
About the Legends tournament, he said it has been an excellent one. “The fans who saw you 10 or 15 years ago get to see you again,” he said. “All these guys come and entertain. This league can go far.”
(The writer is in Muscat at the invitation of Legends League Cricket).
