IPL 9: 'Kieron sends jitters to the opposition'

Batting coach Robin Singh heaps praise on big-hitter Pollard after his quickfire 17-ball 51 helps Mumbai Indians beat KKR with two overs to spare

Mumbai Indians batting coach Robin Singh praised destructive batsman Kieron Pollard for his explosive, unbeaten 51 in 17 balls and skipper Rohit Sharma for his consistent batting performance which helped MI to beat Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. Pollard smashed six sixes and two fours in his unbeaten half-century, while Rohit, who scored his fourth 50 of IPL-9, remained unbeaten on 68 while chasing KKR’s 174 in 18 overs.

Kieron Pollard (left) celebrates MI’s win over KKR with Rohit Sharma on Thursday. Pic/Suresh Karkera

"I think you saw what he (Pollard) meant today and I think you saw that even in the previous games. His cricket has matured over the years. He has understood his responsibilities as not someone who can only strike the ball, but somebody who is really critical to the side. More importantly, I think, it is sending jitters to the opposition," said Robin Singh at the post match press conference. The former India all-rounder underlined that Rohit has an extraordinary range of strokes and is one of the best in the shorter formats of the game after Virat Kohli. "In the shorter formats, he is probably one of the top batters after Virat. I think his game suits this format more than anybody else. He has got a fantastic range of strokes," said Robin Singh.

Robin Singh

Even KKR’s batsman Chris Lynn couldn’t help heaping praise on Rohit. "Every time I have played against him he has got over 50 or 60. He puts a high price on his wicket. He never panics at any stage – like Virat Kohli has been doing over the last few games. He targets the bowlers. He is a class player," said 26-year-old Australian. Both Robin Singh and Chris Lynn agreed that 15 runs would have made the difference in the final analysis. "They (KKR) were 15 runs short. One hundred eighty was a par score on this track… minimum 180. They ended up getting 170 despite us not fielding well. We should have restricted them to 160," said Robin. "We got off to a great start, but didn’t capitalise," rued Lynn.

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