Pollard eagerly anticipates a chorus of praise for Hardik, with everyone singing his praises!
Last night, Titans required 73 off 30 balls at one point, but lost their skipper Gill in the subsequent over, which proved to be a significant blow. R Ashwin’s 17-run over helped the pursuing side, but it ultimately came down to a difficult 35 off 12 balls. But, as they frequently do, the Titans pulled off a heist with Rahul Tewatia in the middle once again. Rashid Khan contributed a magnificent cameo and scored the winning runs, earning him the player of the match title.
“I don’t know if it will affect his confidence. He is a confident guy, he has been great around the group,” Pollard said in Mumbai after MI’s defeat to CSK.
“In cricket, you have good days and bad days and I am seeing an individual who is working bloody hard to improve his skills and plying his trade. I hope very well deep down within my heart that when he comes out on top, I’ll sit back and watch everyone sing his praises.”
“I am fed up of looking to pinpoint individuals,” Pollard said. “Cricket is a team game at the end of the day. This is an individual that is going to represent the country in less than six weeks time and all are going to cheer for him and want him to do well. So high time we try to encourage and stop nitpicking and see if we can get the best out of one of the great all-rounders India has produced. He can bat, bowl and field, and has an X-factor about him.”
On his batting, Pollard expected Hardik to evolve and get back to his best very soon. “As an individual you have to evolve,” Pollard said. “When you are young, you have youthful exuberance. You go out and do things in a certain manner. The older you get, accountability and responsibility kick in.
“What I am seeing is the guy is evolving. We as individuals want to see certain things but sometimes the game does not demand certain things and [you] are going to make mistakes as you go along, as we all have done. The individual has put in the work and hard work pays off. So, all of us will be singing his praises when time comes.”
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