Mumbai Indians’ batting coach Kieron Pollard believes CSK skipper MS Dhoni will receive support across India wherever he plays citing the example of Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar. The five-time champions Indians will take on their arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings in the high-octane clash on Saturday.
Mumbai Indians had a poor start to their campaign as the Rohit Sharma-led side lost their opening encounter against Royal Challengers Bangalore. On the other hand, Chennai Super Kings are coming off a close win over Lucknow Super Kings in the second game after losing the first match to defending champions Gujarat Titans.
Speaking to Espncricinfo, about the atmosphere at the iconic Wankhede and support for MS Dhoni–the former Mumbai Indians all-rounder, and their current batting coach Pollard feels that the CSK skipper would receive enormous support at any part of India.
“Fortunately or unfortunately, when he plays this season, everywhere he goes, he’s going to have a home crowd and home support, because of what he has done. We have felt that years ago when we had our icon, Sachin Tendulkar. No matter where we went throughout India, we had that support,” Kieron Pollard said.
Sachin Tendulkar was one of the greatest batsmen ever to play for India–and lastly played for Mumbai Indians in 2013, where Mumbai won their first-ever title in Indian Premier League under Rohit Sharma.
I Believe All Batters Have To Fire – Kieron Pollard
Kieron Pollard shared his view on Mumbai Indians’ top-order failure and Suryakumar Yadav’s dipping form, Pollard said that all the top-order batters need to contribute to the team’s success and reckons that it is very important to start the tournament very well.
“I believe all batters have to fire. I do not think we should not single out any individual. Cricket is played with eleven players, and again, the tournament has just started so everyone is just looking to start (on a) high note,” Kieron Pollard added.
Speaking on Suryakumar Yadav’s poor form, Kieron Pollard said that they’re not concerned about his form–and asserted that he has been hitting the ball very well in the middle–and the team has confidence in his ability to deliver for the team.
“We have no concerns about Surya’s form, again. I believe you guys make more of it than we do sometimes within the team setup,” Pollard further added.
In their first home game of IPL 2023, the Rohit Sharma-led side will take on MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, on April 8.