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Shahrukh Khan reminds me a bit of Pollard, says Punjab Kings head coach Anil

YB WEB DESK. Dated: 4/6/2021 11:58:24 AM

Mumbai, Apr 5 Punjab Kings head coach and Director of Cricket Operations Anil Kumble is mightly impressed with the franchises' new recruit Shahrukh Khan's power-hitting skills. Kumble lauded Shahrukh and even compared him with West Indies star Kieron Pollard. Anil Kumble recalled his experience of bowling to Kieron Pollard in the Mumbai Indians (MI) nets and said that Shahrukh Khan brings a similar skillset to the table. Notably, Shahrukh is a 25- year-old big-hitting batsman who comes from Chennai. Known for getting those quickfire 30s and 40s in the lowermiddle order, Shahrukh Khan made a name for himself in the Tamil Nadu Premier League. "He reminds me a bit of Pollard actually. When I was with Mumbai Indians, Pollard in the nets was dangerous. I used to bowl a bit (in the nets), and the first thing I used to tell him was not to hit straight. Here I'm not even trying. I'm a lot older now, and the body doesn't take the bowling anymore. So, I'm not going to bowl at Shahrukh, for sure". Shahrukh Khan said that he was pleasantly surprised that there was a bidding war for his services i n the auction. "The auction started at around 3 PM I guess, and we were practising at the Holkar Stadium, obviously I had to bat and bowl a bit. So I told our physio that 'please let me know when my name comes up. I'll take a break and come and see the auction.' Luckily my name didn't come up, and it didn't bother my batting much. Right after we finished practice and we hopped onto the bus, I still remember sitting on the first seat and my name came up. My heart started pumping, but I didn't expect it to rise as much as it did," Shahrukh Khan added. "Being amongst such stalwarts of cricket, it feels amazing to be here and the inputs have been great. I have been having a lot of conversations with everyone around here, getting to learn.