IPL 2018: We Need to Take 10 Wickets to Win Matches – Kieron Pollard
Apr 18, 2018 at 11:26 AM
Mumbai Indians (MI) all-rounder, Kieron Pollard feels his team needs to take ten wickets against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) later on Tuesday at Wankhede to turn things around for themselves.
The defending champions are currently at the bottom of the league with three defeats in three games.
Rohit Sharma’s side will be desperate to avoid a repeat of the 2014 edition where they lost their first five games before bouncing back.
We have got over that:
Pollard on the eve of the clash against RCB admitted they have got over the defeats.
“I don’t think we are down right now. If we were down, we should be home,” Pollard said. “We have got over that. There have been conversations going. We had talks at different levels of where we need to go forward and actually try and finish off games,” he added.
Moreover, Pollard suggested the two defeats have indicated the scope of improvements. The all-rounder stressed they need to take ten wickets to win the matches.
“Two of those matches were nine wickets. That is an area to improve. Take ten wickets to win the match. It is just a matter of trying to be consistent in what you are trying to achieve, especially at the back end of the innings,” he said.
“I think 190-odd on any ground is sometimes defendable. Three games in a row, we have lost in the last over. If you guys (media) have any idea to tell us how to get over the line, if it happens again, give us an idea of what to do,” he added.
Pollard also defended Krunal Pandya, who has not bowled well so far in this series. Sharma has used Krunal very less in this and Pollard asserts there is a specific plan in that. He also admitted he will bowl a lot in the upcoming matches.
I’m always hungry to perform
Talking about his knock against RCB last year post-Samuel Badree’s hat-trick, Pollard noted that he is always hungry to perform.
“I’m always hungry to perform. For any individual, any cricketer performance is important. For me, what gets me going against any team are big players. Big players mean big games. These are the times you want to be counted,” he said.
“If I could tell the future, I wished I could tell what would happen tomorrow and sit down with a broader smile on my face. But there are processes that you need to go through as a player. Think hard about the opposition, think what they’re going to do and see how you’re going to come back,” Pollard concluded.
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