Rishabh Pant Sends Heartfelt Message to Nicholas Pooran After Retirement Announcement
Rishabh Pant's Tribute to Nicholas Pooran
New Delhi [India] - Rishabh Pant, the vice-captain of India's Test team, expressed his deep emotions in a touching message to his Lucknow Super Giants teammate, Nicholas Pooran, following Pooran's recent retirement from international cricket.
Pooran, who previously captained the West Indies in T20Is, announced his retirement on Tuesday, joining a series of players who have stepped away from the international stage this year. The 29-year-old, recognized as the West Indies' most experienced player and leading run-scorer in T20Is, described his choice as a challenging one.
Having shared the IPL dressing room with Pant, Pooran has developed a strong friendship with the Indian cricketer. Pant conveyed his best wishes to Pooran, referring to him as an "absolute powerhouse" and congratulating him on his accomplishments with the West Indies team.
"You have made your mark, bro – a true teammate, friend, and an absolute powerhouse. Proud to have shared the field with you. Congratulations on everything you have done for West Indies cricket. Wishing you nothing but success for the future. Respect always," Pant shared on Instagram.
Pooran's retirement follows a week after South Africa's Heinrich Klaasen also announced his exit from international cricket. Prior to Klaasen, Glenn Maxwell had retired from ODIs to focus exclusively on T20Is.
Pooran's decision comes after he requested Cricket West Indies to exclude him from their current white-ball series in England. With the T20 World Cup 2026 set to take place in India and Sri Lanka in over eight months, this decision poses a significant challenge for the 2016 champions.
"Wearing that maroon, standing for the anthem, and giving everything I had each time I stepped on the field... it’s hard to express what that truly means to me. Leading the team as captain is a privilege I will always cherish," Pooran wrote on Instagram.
Pooran's journey in white-ball cricket has been filled with ups and downs. After facing a suspension in 2019 for ball tampering, he made a remarkable comeback, leading the West Indies to a 4-1 series victory over Australia in the absence of Kieron Pollard.
His final appearance for the West Indies was against Bangladesh in Kingstown, where the Caribbean team suffered an 80-run defeat.
Since his debut in 2016, Pooran has played in 106 T20Is and 61 ODIs, accumulating over 4,258 runs across both formats. He scored 2,275 runs in T20Is, averaging 26.14 with a strike rate of 136.39. In ODIs, he amassed 1,983 runs at an average of 39.66, including three centuries and 11 fifties.