Ishan Kishan to be benched for the entire season after a duck vs GT? Kieron Pollard reveals Mumbai Indians isn't happy
Published - 26 Mar 2024, 12:06 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:08 AM
Mumbai Indians’ batting coach, Kieron Pollard, expressed his confidence in Ishan Kishan’s potential despite his poor performance against the Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2024. Kieron Pollard expressed hope that Kishan would bounce back and showcase his skills.
Ishan Kishan returned to action at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 24. He skipped India’s recent Test series, including against South Africa and England, which led to his omission from the BCCI central contract list alongside Shreyas Iyer.
The left-handed opening batter faced a challenging start in their opening match of the prestigious tournament. Kishan was dismissed for a duck against Azmatullah Omarzai, who made his debut for the Titans. Omarzai set the tone for the Titans’ defense of 168 runs.
Kishamm grappled with Omarzai’s new-ball deliveries, confronting three inswingers before chasing a ball angling away, resulting in his dismissal with a four-ball duck. This challenging start marked a difficult beginning for the 25-year-old in the ongoing tournament.
Ishan Kishan Didn’t Score Tonight – Kieron Pollard
Kieron Pollard stated that Ishan Kishan is in good form and anticipates significant contributions from him in upcoming matches, urging continued support from both fans and pundits alike.
“I don’t understand the controversial circumstances. You have stated clearly as to why he wasn’t playing so I guess we need to take that into consideration. Everything as a player and individual as well, playing international sports is very very tough, it’s not very easy as people would think,” Pollard said in the post-match press conference.
“For him, again, he did not score tonight so, we can look at all sorts of different things, but I said it’s a long tournament, he is an experienced guy within our setup and we expect big things from Ishan, he is in a good space, he has been practicing well and has been doing fairly decently, so hopefully within the next couple of games, you can see great performances from him and all of you will continue to laud his brains when he does that,” he added.
Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya decided to bowl first. Jasprit Bumrah and Gerald Coetzee showcased stellar performances as their key bowlers. Bumrah provided early breakthroughs by delivering an exceptional yorker to dismiss opener Wriddhiman Saha.
Coetzee made a significant impact, finishing with two wickets for 27 runs in his four overs. Sai Sudharsan (45) was the top scorer for the home team, while Shubman Gill contributed 31 runs.
Rohit Sharma (43 off 29) provided a solid start for the Mumbai Indians following Ishan Kishan’s dismissal. He formed a 77-run partnership with Dewald Brevis, who scored 46 off 38. However, Rohit’s dismissal shifted the momentum of the game in favor of the Titans.
Following Rohit’s exit, the MI team faced further setbacks as Brevis and Tilak Varma fell to the Titans’ bowlers. Tim David and Hardik Pandya’s quick dismissals in the later overs added to their woes, ultimately leading to the Mumbai-based team faltering in their chase.
The Hardik Pandya-led team will compete against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their second IPL match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday, March 27.
