IPL 2021: ‘Never seen a chase like that before, one of the best innings from Pollard’, says Rohit Sharma

Pollard 87* off 34 balls as MI chased down CSK's 218/4 on the last delivery.

Kieron Pollard took the CSK attack to the cleaners | BCCI/IPLRohit Sharma was an elated captain as Mumbai Indians (MI) registered a nail-biting four-wicket over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in a high-scoring contest at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on Saturday (May 1).

Asked to bat first, CSK piled up a mammoth 218/4 in 20 overs on the back of Ambati Rayudu’s jaw-dropping 27-ball 72* and significant contributions from Moeen Ali (58 off 36 balls) and Faf du Plessis (50 off 28 balls).

In reply, the defending champions overhauled the target on the last delivery thanks to Kieron Pollard’s breathtaking 87* off 34 balls.

Speaking after the game, Rohit said that this match is one of the best T20s he has ever been a part of and also hailed Pollard’s effort with the bat.

"Probably one of the best T20 games that I have ever been part of. I have never seen a chase like that before. One of the best innings from Polly. Brilliant to see from outside. Good pitch, smaller ground, we wanted to stay positive once we finished the 20 overs. We got a decent start and then we saw what happened," Rohit said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

"We just wanted to go there and express ourselves. A brilliant partnership at the top, the Krunal-Pollard partnership was crucial too. When chasing a high score, you want your power-hitters to bat as many balls as possible. But we back Krunal to do the job as well," he added.

Commenting on the pitch in Delhi, Rohit said: "Delhi suits our style of play. You want to back your bowlers to get the job done. The bowlers brought us back into the game against Rajasthan. It's all about backing your core group of bowlers and I am sure they'll get the job done more often."

With this victory, MI remain at the fourth spot in the eight-team table with 8 points while CSK continue to lead the chart with 10 points.

Mumbai Indians will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in their next match on Tuesday (May 4).

(With ANI inputs)

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 02 May, 2021

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