Port of Spain: West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard is popular among Indian fans thanks to his exploits in the Indian Premier League (IPL) where he plays for Mumbai Indians (MI).

Recently, he was part of the West Indies T20I team that faced the Virat Kohli-led Indian side in a three-match series in the US and the Caribbean islands. He scored 49, eight not out and 58. However, that was not enough as India made a 3-0 clean sweep.

Also read: Steve Waugh heaps praise on Hardik Pandya

Now, Pollard is gearing up to play an exhibition match — Selector Fan Cup in Port of Spain.  It will be between Pollard XI and Dwayne Bravo XI on September 1 at the Queen’s Park Oval. Batting legend Brian Lara is in Bravo’s team.

Ahead of the match, Pollard shared his views on his MI teammate Hardik Pandya.

Also read: Hardik Pandya fined Rs 20 lakh

"I have seen him (Hardik Pandya) from when he started at Mumbai and I am not surprised. He has turned into an Indian superstar. The way he carries himself and the manner in which Hardik plays emulates how he is off the field and sometimes when you see guys like that, we as individuals who are very conservative tend to always have negative things to say,” Pollard told news agency IANS.

"But, you know, when you are a confident person off the field and you can take that on to the field and perform, I think that shows great mettle in the human itself," he added.

After being rested for the tour of West Indies, Pandya was recalled to the India T20I squad to face South Africa at home from September 15 in a three-match series.

Squads for Selector Fan Cup

Bravo XI: Dwayne Bravo (captain), Brian Lara, Lendl Simmons, Amir Jangoo (wk), Tion Webster, Javon Searles, Yannic Cariah, Sunil Narine, Ali Khan, Akeal Hossain, Sheeno Berridge, Jayden Seales, Isiah Rajah, JP Barrie, Dexter Sween.

Pollard XI: Kieron Pollard (captain), Denesh Ramdin (wicketkeeper), Mark Deyal, Jimmy Neesham, Seekugge Prasanna, Joshua De Silva, Khary Pierre, Terrance Hinds, Anderson Phillip, Jon Russ Jaggesar, Jalarnie Seales, Leonardo Julien, Nicholas Alexi, Kjorn Ottley, Yannick Ottley, Daron Cruickshank.

Free entry to the stadium

Match starts 7 pm IST