Kieron Pollard Is From West Indies But He Is Actually A Gujarati At Heart, Says Hardik Pandya

India all-rounder Hardik Pandya opened up on his bonding with West Indies limited-overs skipper Kieron Pollard.

Pollard and Pandya together form a destructive pair for Mumbai Indians in their lower-middle order.

Both have made immense contributions with their individual all-round performance in making Mumbai Indians the most successful team in the Indian Premier League.

Kieron Pollard literally functions like an Indian: Hardik Pandya

Pollard is the senior-most player in the Mumbai Indians team and also their vice-captain.

The West Indies captain is playing for the five-time IPL champions since 2010, while Pandya joined the team in 2015.

Pandya dubbed the Trinidad all-rounder as a Gujarati for his ideology and beliefs about financial investments.

“We call him grandpa. He is from West Indies but he is actually a Gujarati at heart. He literally functions like an Indian: a guy who believes in property, a guy who believes in investments, a guy who believes: instead of buying a car, I’ll buy property because it will grow, Ek rupiah Nahin waste karoonga [I won’t waste a rupee],” Pandya told ESPNCricinfo.

How Krunal is for me, Kieron Pollard is the same: Hardik Pandya

A year after Hardik Pandya made his debut in IPL, his brother Krunal Pandya joined him in the Mumbai Indians team.

Hardik revealed that it was because of his brother that he started talking to Pollard and got close to him He also mentioned that Pollard has the same place in his heart just as Krunal has.

“How Krunal is for me, Pollard is the same. He has been part of the international circuit for a long time. I don’t sometimes understand how it functions, but he has taught me to let it be. I am very upfront if I don’t like something. There are lots of times when he has calmed me down, lots of times when he has given me life lessons,” Hardik Pandya said.

“The relationship started because of Krunal. In 2015 at the IPL I did not speak to Polly. He was in the next room but it was just “Hi Polly, bye Polly.” In 2016, when Krunal came in, I started talking to Polly. Polly is now family, not just a friend, not just a team-mate,” he added.

Mumbai Indians ended in fifth place on the points table in IPL 2021 and missed the playoffs due to an inferior net run-rate against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Also Read: Hardik Pandya Recalls When MS Dhoni Offered His Bed And Told He Would Sleep On Floor