IPL 2024: ‘Stop Blaming Hardik Pandya’ – Kieron Pollard Comes to Defense of MI Captain

In the wake of intense scrutiny on Hardik Pandya after Mumbai Indians‘ close loss to Gujarat Titans at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, batting coach Kieron Pollard staunchly defended him.

Amidst a flurry of complaints and criticism from former cricketers, questions arose as Hardik Pandya came in at number seven during Mumbai Indians’ chase, leading to their defeat. Critics wondered why Pandya didn’t appear earlier to counter the spin.

Speaking with TOI, Pollard shed light on the collective decision-making process within the team regarding the batting order and game strategies. He highlighted that no player, not even Hardik Pandya, enjoys complete autonomy.

“No decision is made on full autonomy, so we can’t say it is his decision. Usually, if you look at it over time, Tim (David) has finished games for us, and Hardik had done it over the years. It didn’t happen tonight. But all those things are in hindsight,” Pollard said.

“It’s not hardik Pandya’s decision to bat number 7. As a team, we make decisions, so let’s put a stop to ‘Hardik Pandya made a decision, Hardik did this, Hardik did that’. We are a team. We make decisions collectively as one,” he added.

Adding more to it, Pollard clarified why they pushed Tim David ahead of Hardik Pandya. He pointed out that both are known for their finishing skills, and they were banking on one of them to come through and win the game for the team.