Kieran Pollard had plenty to point the finger at Hardik Pandya All across Mumbai Indians IPL 2024 promotion Hardik has received enough flak for everything he has done – bowling, batting, captaincy, decision-making – that Rohit Sharma is still the captain of Mumbai Indians. And on Sunday, the skipper came in the firing line when he leaked 26 runs in the last over, hitting three consecutive sixes off the evergreen. MS Dhoni.
As the game progressed, things went from bad to worse for Hardik as he failed to make an impact with the bat as well. With MI chasing over 200, the run rate rose to 15 overs when Hardik joined. Rohit. At that point, there was no option but to go ball-by-ball, but Hardik struggled, scoring 2 runs in 6 overs and eventually perishing. The evening is still ahead.
Rohit fought solo en route to his second IPL century, but his 105 off 67 balls was not enough to save MI. As Hardik cuts a disappointing figure, Pollard, the MI batting coach, came to the captain's defense and made headline-churning criticism. The former MI all-rounder followed Hardik and warned the detractors that it was only a matter of time before people fell behind Pandya, referring to the T20 World Cup.
“I don't know if it affects his confidence. He's a confident guy, he's fantastic around the crowd in cricket, you have good days and bad days and I see a guy who's working bloody hard to improve. Skills and plying his trade,” Pollard said after the match.
“I'm sick and tired of looking at individuals; cricket is a team game at the end of the day. This is a man who is going to represent the country in less than six weeks, and you're all going to be cheering him on. We want him to do well when the time comes, so we'll try to stop nitpicking and from one of the greatest all-rounders India has ever produced. Let's see if we can get the best. I think he has the X-factor about him. When he gets to the top, I sit back and everybody sings his praises.
Pollard has seen the rise of Hardik at MI. Once a devastating all-rounder, capable of hitting voluptuous shots at will, Hardik's batting has not been the same in the last couple of years. At times, he gives you 40 off 2 balls, but innings like 71 off 30 and 76 off 43 or even the 86-ball century against Sri Lanka are missing.
Pollard on Pandya's batting style
Pollard feels that Pandya's new approach is part of his evolution, which may not be recognized initially but will eventually find its way into the hearts of the public. Pandya is expected to be a big cog for India in the T20 World Cup starting June 1 in the West Indies and USA and Pollard are confident that the crowd will get behind Hardik and 'give him his praises'.
“You have to evolve as a person. When you're young, you have youthful exuberance. You go out and do things a certain way. As you get older, responsibility and accountability kicks in,” Pollard said of Hardik's batting.
“What I see is the person evolving. We, the individuals, want to see certain things but sometimes the game doesn't demand certain things and (players) are going to make mistakes as you go as we all do. The person has put in the work and hard work pays off, so when the time comes we all sing his praises.