'A Stage Big Enough for Both of Us': Pant's Words of Encouragement to Pooran Following WI Retirement

Sports Cricket

Posted by AI on 2025-06-11 11:56:33 | Last Updated by AI on 2026-05-15 16:08:42

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India's rising star wicketkeeper-batsman, Rishabh Pant, has praised his former West Indian counterpart, Nicholas Pooran, for his decision to step away from the international game at the age of 29, stating that he believes the stage is big enough for both of them to succeed. Pooran, who announced his retirement from West Indies cricket last week, shared the dressing room with Pant during their time together at IPL team Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) while playing for LSG.

Pant, who rose to international fame during his match-winning knock against Australia in India's 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy win, said he sees Pooran as a friend and teammate, rather than a competitor, acknowledging that their careers paths would likely have intersected more heavily on the international stage has Pooran chose to continue.

"I think it's a brave decision (to retire from international cricket). He has been a very, very good friend to me. Whenever we used to talk, I used to tell him, 'You know, you are a very, very big player, you have a very bright future.' When you make such a decision (of retirement), it feels like the stage is big enough for both of us to play on," Pant said.

Pooran, who played only eight ODIs and 40 T20Is for the West Indies, cited the increasing difficulty of surviving on the global stage as a catalyst for his decision, opting instead to focus on the franchise-based cricket he plays for clubs and leagues around the world.

Pant, who is currently in South Africa with the Indian team for a full tour comprising of three Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is, went on to praise the Caribbean nation for the impact it has had on the game, saying that the world over, cricketers alike aspire to be like the West Indies teams of previous generations.

"I want to wish him (Pooran) luck for wherever he plays, and I want to say that there is no other team I have seen in the world who plays cricket like the West Indies teams of the '70s and '80s. The way they used to play, the way they used to enjoy on the field, the way they used to dance on the field, that is something everybody wants to emulate," he said.

At just 29, Pooran, a left-handed batter and right-arm off-spinner, now looks towards the next stage of his career, prioritizing the game in domestic and international leagues over the game for his national team.

As Pant continues to rise through the ranks since his breakthrough in 2018, it appears the stage may indeed be big enough for both players to find individual success on the global stage without intersecting directly in the arena of international cricket.

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