Kieron Pollard, the batting coach for the Mumbai Indians, came out on Thursday to support Rohit Sharma, who hasn’t been hitting the runs as expected in the early part of IPL 2025. Pollard pointed out Rohit’s impressive track record in cricket, saying that just because he’s had a few bad matches doesn’t mean he should be criticized. In fact, Pollard believes that it won’t be long before everyone is singing Rohit’s praises again.
So far, Rohit’s scores in three matches have been 0, 8, and 13. It’s been a rough start for the Mumbai Indians, who lost their opening games to Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans. However, they bounced back with a strong showing on Monday, winning by eight wickets against the Kolkata Knight Riders. Now, they’re gearing up for a match against Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium on Friday.
Pollard spoke in a pre-match press conference and reminded everyone of Rohit’s accomplishments. He said, “Rohit has made his mark in cricket, breaking records in all sorts of situations and formats.” He went on to say, “He’s a legend of the game. Let’s not judge him based on just a couple of low scores.” Pollard added that even the best players go through rough patches sometimes. He believes that Rohit is enjoying the game and not letting pressure get to him. Pollard is confident that when Rohit does come good with a big score, everyone will move on to the next hot topic.
When asked about comments from Lucknow Super Giants’ mentor Zaheer Khan regarding the pitch at their home ground, which hasn’t been favorable for the team, Pollard took a different angle. He explained that he isn’t a pitch expert, but he thinks it’s important for the players to adapt to whatever condition they find themselves facing. Pollard emphasized that as a player and coach, the goal is to prepare for any situation that arises. He said, “The nature of the pitches is out of our control. That’s how you become legendary in this sport, by being able to adapt to whatever challenges come your way.”
