On and off the pitch, Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya have a wonderful camaraderie. While Krunal has progressed through the ranks since joining the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2016, Pollard has been a vital part of the team's setup for more than a decade.
On Sunday, the two-faced off in an IPL 2022 match between the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium.
Lucknow scored 168 for six in 20 overs, thanks to skipper KL Rahul's 103 not out, before restricting Mumbai to 132/8 in 20 overs. The IPL newcomers won by 36 runs, with Rahul grabbing the spotlight for his second century of the season.
Krunal was brilliant with the ball, taking three wickets, including Pollard's prized scalp.
Krunal gave the West Indian a send-off by jumping on him and kissing his head, but Pollard strolled away unfazed by Krunal's antics.
While many admirers thought his gesture was excessive, former India player Parthiv Patel said that the jubilation was "over the top," especially since Pollard hasn't had a stellar IPL season so yet.
“Krunal and Pollard are very good friends, but things are different on the field. Pollard has not been scoring runs. Also, Mumbai have also been on a losing spree. It’s important to give people space at that point. In the dressing room, you can have as much banter as you want for the whole year. But I feel this reaction was over the top," Parthiv told Cricbuzz.
Former pacer RP Singh also commented and claimed that things could have become ugly if Pollard had not reacted calmly.
“Nobody likes losing. When a player is not doing well, one should avoid such things. You don’t know what emotions he is going through. What if he (Pollard) had turned back and reacted. He was walking back disappointed at being unable to win matches and that reaction was definitely too much," he said.
Notably, Pollard had removed Krunal earlier in the game. "I was so thankful that I got his (Pollard) wicket otherwise he would have eaten my brain throughout my life because he got me out and now that it's 1-1 at least he will speak less," said the LSG all-rounder after the game.
