Kieron Pollard in the dugout of the Mumbai Indians© BCCI/Sportzpics
Back on the cricket field, Mumbai Indians’ wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan could not even open his account with the bat, suffering a duck as Mumbai Indians were defeated by Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League opener on Sunday (IPL) 2024. Ishan has been a player who has been intensely debated ever since he decided to skip the Ranji Trophy assignments to prepare for the T20 competition. A duck in the opening game did not help his situation, but mentor Kieron Pollard continues to believe in the player.
At a post-match press conference, Pollard dodged questions surrounding Ishan and refused to comment much on the ‘controversial circumstances’ surrounding the wicketkeeper-batsman.
“I don’t understand the controversial circumstances. You clearly stated why he didn’t play, so I think we have to take that into account. Everything as a player and also as an individual, playing international sports is very tough.” it’s not as easy as people might think,” Pollard said.
Ishan’s future with the Indian team and the MI squad could be under the scanner if he fails to shoot as there will be a mega auction next year, but Pollard said he expects big things from the left-hander.
“For him, he didn’t score again tonight, so we can look at all kinds of different things, but I said it’s a long tournament, he’s an experienced guy in our line-up and we expect big things from Ishan. A good space, he has been practicing well and doing a pretty decent job, so hopefully you can see some great performances from him in the next few games and you’ll all continue to praise his brains when he does,” Pollard added. .
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