MI will be facing LSG next in Lucknow on Friday.
The IPL 2025 has not been kind to Mumbai Indians (MI) batter Rohit Sharma. Coming from his ICC Champions Trophy-winning 76 runs for India against New Zealand, Rohit Sharma was expected to set IPL on fire with the bat.
However, the case has been just the opposite. He has scores of 0, 8, and 13 in three matches for MI in IPL 2025. The poor start to the season, with 21 runs in three innings, has pundits like Michael Vaughn questioning his status in the MI XI. On the same forum, experts such as Manoj Tiwary and Virender Sehwag also criticized Rohit.
MI's batting coach, Kieron Pollard, addressed the criticism ahead of the team's game against the Lucknow Super Giants on Friday at Ekana Stadium. Pollard seemed unconcerned about Rohit's performance, claiming he has "earned the right" to "not be pressured."
"I've played alongside Rohit since Under-19 cricket, and he has forged his name and etched his name in history in the record books in different situations and different formats of the game. He is a legend of the game in his own right, and as an individual as well," Pollard said in his pre-match press conference in Lucknow.
"There are times when you have a couple of low scores. He has earned the right as an individual to now enjoy his cricket and not be pressured in certain situations. So let's not judge on a couple of low scores. In cricket, we know we fail more than we succeed, and I'm sure we'll be singing his praises when he gives us that big score, and then we'll be on to the next hot topic,” Pollard added.
Pollard also confessed that the Mumbai Indians are unconcerned about the pitch they will face in Lucknow. They struggled on slower grounds in Chennai and Gujarat, but in their third game at home, they cleaned out Kolkata for 116 before winning by eight wickets.
"For me and for us, I think it's more about adaptability in whatever is presented on a particular day. As a former player and manager, you want to be able to prepare for any eventuality, and you try to control things that you can control and the nature of the surfaces is something that we can't control as a management and as a playing group. So whatever is presented, that's how you get to be called world-class and legends that you can adapt to anything that is in front of you,” Pollard added.