"He himself has expressed that he hasn't been able to finish games" - MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene on Kieron Pollard's batting form
Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mahela Jayawardene recently spoke about Kieron Pollard's poor batting form in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL 2022).
He mentioned that the swashbuckler hasn't received much support from the rest of the batters lower down the order, which is why he hasn't been able to finish off matches.
Jayawardene made these remarks while speaking to the media ahead of MI's upcoming clash against Gujarat Titians (GT). He suggested that while the star all-rounder did show glimpses of form in the initial matches, he couldn't help his IPL team cross the line.
The 44-year-old old further added that the white-ball veteran has been honest regarding his underwhelming outings and is aware that he hasn't been able to secure wins for the MI team this year.
He said:
"Kieron Pollard has been honest as well, expressing himself that he hasn't been able to finish games. But at the same time, when you review properly, those were situations where it's tough for one person to do the bulk of the work. It's a team game.
"He needs a little bit of support as well, which he lacked in some of the other games. We would love to see Polly in his usual rhythm and go and execute.
"He looked good in the first 3-4 games and was hitting well, but never had the support from the rest to try and finish games off. You need to take the whole tournament into perspective and analyze rather than picking a few games. The numbers and the consistency are not there, but that's something that not just Pollard but we as a group have to improve on."
Jayawardene also pointed out that MI's dynamic opener Ishan Kishan hasn't contributed significantly this time around. He opined that it was important for the southpaw to continue playing his natural game, despite his recent dismal outings.
The cricketer-turned-coach reckoned that Kishan was forced to alter his game because of his team's situation on certain occasions. He stated that every player goes through such a phase and backed the batter to turn things around in the remaining matches.
"The conversations I have had with Ishan Kishan this year were about his natural game and playing with intent. He is known for that and his positive approach. He had that intent during the first few games.
"The team's circumstances in some of the other games prompted him to bat differently. He did get into a bit of a drought. This can happen to any player. We will encourage him to play his natural game."
It is worth mentioning that Kishan has an ordinary strike rate of 111.39 in this year's cash-rich league. The talented youngster has managed 225 runs from his nine appearances this season and has a batting average of 28.13.
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"That's been a disappointment" - Mahela Jayawardene on Rohit Sharma not getting big runs in IPL 2022
The MI coach also admitted that skipper Rohit Sharma hasn't been able to convert his starts in the tournament. He stated that the right-hander has played impactful knocks for the side over the years, but he hasn't been able to do the same this season.
However, he believes that it is unfair for a team to rely on one individual for fireworks with the bat. He feels that the five-time champions haven't executed their plans well, which is why they have failed to get desirable results.
Jayawardene explained:
"Rohit Sharma has been brilliant at batting for long periods and getting those big scores consistently. He knows he has had starts but hasn't been able to convert them into big scores. That's been a disappointment.
"For a team to work, it's not just one individual, it's about a team executing the gameplan the way we've structured. That's something that we've lacked."
The Mumbai-based side will next be seen in action on Friday (May 6) when they take on Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 51st league match of the season. The contest is scheduled to be played at the Brabourne Stadium.