Former West Indian wicketkeeper-batter Nicholas Pooran has named left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav as the toughest Indian bowler he has faced amid the ongoing Australia-India T20I series. Despite not naming ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah as his primary nemesis, Pooran acknowledged that Bumrah has gotten the better of him a couple of times.
Kuldeep Yadav has dismissed Pooran seven times across international cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL) in just 146 deliveries. The veteran Indian spinner has sent the left-handed batter packing four times in T20Is, twice in ODIs, and once in the IPL.
When asked about the toughest Indian bowler he has encountered, Pooran said in an interview with CricTracker:
“I mean, toughest, there are quite a few. The one that gets me out quite a few times is Kuldeep, definitely. And he knows it as well. Bumrah has got on me a couple of times as well. But hopefully, I will continue to figure out a way, and next year will be different.”
Kuldeep boasts an incredible T20 record, with 234 wickets in 184 matches, at an average of under 21 and an economy rate of 7.44. Meanwhile, Nicholas Pooran has established himself as one of the greats of the shortest format, thanks to his impressive numbers — an average of over 30 and a strike rate close to 150 in 424 outings.
### Nicholas Pooran Picks His Three Most Admired Indian Batters
Turning his attention to batting, Nicholas Pooran selected Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, and Rishabh Pant as the three Indian batters he admires the most. Gill and Abhishek are currently the two openers for India in their ongoing T20I series in Australia. Meanwhile, Pant and Pooran played together for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2025.
Pooran said,
“There are quite a few guys that I look at and I quite like. I like Shubman Gill. He’s really nice. I like the fact that Rishabh Pant’s mentality is ‘my way or no way’; he gets the job done. Even young Abhishek [Sharma], his fearlessness, and his ability to hit sixes on the first ball, that’s beautiful to see.”
Abhishek Sharma is currently the No. 1-ranked T20I batter in the world, while Shubman Gill serves as India’s vice-captain in the shortest format.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/cricket/news-not-jasprit-bumrah-nicholas-pooran-picks-toughest-indian-bowler-amid-aus-vs-ind-2025-t20is
