Don't judge 'legend' Rohit on a couple of low scores: Pollard

Lucknow, Apr 3 (PTI) Mumbai Indians batting coach Kieron Pollard on Thursday played down the chats surrounding Rohit Sharma’s lukewarm start to IPL 2025, saying the ace batter should not be judged on the back of a couple of low scores.

Former skipper Rohit, who landed MI five IPL titles, has failed to fire so far in this edition of the tournament, making 0, 8 and 13.

“Rohit has etched his name in history, in record books, in different situations, in different formats of the game. He is a legend of the game. So, let's not judge him on a couple of low scores,” said Pollard ahead of MI’s match against Lucknow Super Giants here on Friday.

Pollard said a big innings from the 37-year-old is just around the corner, and he should not be put under undue pressure.

“There are times when you will have a couple of low scores. As an individual, he is enjoying his cricket and not being pressurised in certain situations.

“I am sure we will be singing his praises when he comes and he gives us that big score and then we will be on to the next hot topic,” said Pollard.

The LSG mentor Zaheer Khan had criticised the Lucknow track recently after his side’s defeat against Punjab Kings, but Pollard stayed away from the pitch talk.

“My expertise is not as a curator, but for us I think it's more about adaptability in whatever is presented. On a particular day, as a forward player, coach management, you want to be able to prepare for any eventuality.

“The nature of the pitches is something that we can't control. That's how you get to be called world-class and legends, that you are able to adapt to anything that is in front of you,” he said.

Mumbai have unearthed some young talents this season such as Vignesh Puthur and Satyanarayana Raju, and the Trinidadian was delighted to see them chipping in for the team.

“When you look at it, at some point in time, the superstars we speak about now were young talents as well. So, why would we say there is no space for them? I think we just need to continue to be careful in the way that we portray things.

“There is a cycle in everything that you do. There are generational changes and we just need to accept that.” Pollard said the arrival of fresh talents will do a world of good for Indian cricket in future, but he did not undermine the role of senior pros.

“We have young guys coming in at different times and doing well. We tend to put a lot of expectations on their shoulders and straight away start to think that the senior guys who have nurtured them should be out of the reckoning.

“There should be a balance and it is all well and good that every single year of the IPL, we get to unearth young talent and that I think is healthy for Indian cricket,” he added. PTI