Former India opener Virender Sehwag has recently shared that young Tamil Nadu and Punjab Kings batsman Shahrukh Khan has impressed him and he reminds him of a young Keiron Pollard as well. Punjab bought him for a massive INR 5.25 crore in the mini-auction before the Indian Premier League 2021.
However, he tried to justify his price tag before the tournament was postponed due to Covid-19. Batting at no.6, Shahrukh Khan did manage to show his fearless approach in his batting. He smashed a 36-ball 47 against Chennai Super Kings. He managed to score 107 runs in eight matches as well. Even though he did not have a stunning season, Sehwag believes that Shahrukh is not far away from being a big name if he keeps working on his game.
“He reminds us of a young Pollard, when he had just come into the IPL. Everyone was running after him, because he could just stand and hit sixes off bowlers. Shahrukh has the same quality,” Sehwag said to Cricbuzz.
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The youngster made headlines after he scored 198 runs in just five games at a strike rate of over 200 for Tamil Nadu, in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. And, Sehwag claimed, if given a chance to bat up the order, the swashbuckling batsman could even score a century in the IPL.
“If he can be given a chance to bat higher, the day he clicks, he could even hit a century. He is the kind of player for whom it doesn’t matter what happened the previous ball. Many batsmen think ‘Oh, I got beaten, this one turned’. Those who don’t think about the previous ball, they have a higher success rate,” he further added.
Meanwhile, former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris has said that Shahrukh Khan could become like Hardik Pandya in future. The veteran further added that the youngster could become a reliable finisher in the history of the T20 championship as well.
“I think that’s a lot of pressure to put on his shoulders. I would want to back up that truck a little bit and say no. Just let him play and develop! People develop at different speeds as well. He might take two-three-four seasons to get to a point where he is a reliable finisher,” Styris said.
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“I don’t want to compare anyone with Kieron Pollard, he’s 6 foot 5, he’s huge. Shahrukh Khan is a big guy as well. Maybe he can look to aspire to be like Hardik Pandya. I’ve seen a lot of Shahrukh Khan because of my commentary days with the Tamil Nadu Premier League,” he again shared.
