People don't understand what a cricketer goes through: Pollard

Mumbai Indians finally turned up against Punjab Kings on Tuesday (September 28) and ended their three-match losing streak in the second half of the Indian Premier League 2021. Chasing a target of 136 on a two-paced Abu Dhabi surface, Mumbai won the game by six wickets and moved to fifth place on the points table. 

The five-time champions have only three more games to go but Kieron Pollard said his team is not thinking too much about the qualification scenarios.

"We don't plan it to be like this because it's a lot of pressure on us as cricketers to win all the games at the backend. But what we have in the dressing room is belief - belief in one another and belief that we can get ourselves out of any situation," he said.

"We have guys who have been there in tough times, in different scenarios, at different times. At the end of the day, we've put oursleves in a situation where we are at now. So it's just about us sticking together and getting ourselves out of it."

The reason Mumbai haven't been at their best is because of the lack of runs from Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya. The former didn't feature in the last night's game against Punjab, while Suryakumar was dismissed for a golden duck. 

However, Hardik (30-ball 40*) got some much-needed runs and helped Mumbai cross the line with an over to spare. Pollard, who picked up two crucial wickets of KL Rahul and Chris Gayle and scored a seven-ball 15*, said the management has enough faith in all three of them.

"It's just a matter of giving the guys the confidence that they've done it before and can do it again. To find the problem and then find the best solutions to what's happening. These are the guys who have done it for us time and time again.

"It's difficult when you have a lot of people on the outside speaking about it. At the end of the day, these people speak and don't understand what a person goes through as a cricketer. For us, it's about backing them and giving them the confidence that they can do well as young, talented individuals. People are going on about the pitches and wickets. But you can't get what you want all the time. You just need to adapt at different times."  

Pollard also became the first player in T20s to complete the double of 300 wickets and 10,000 runs. "I just try to do my best whenever I get the opportunity. I will be more than happy to do what the team needs of me. I enjoyed my 300th wicket which was KL and obviously it’s a landmark and very special. I don’t have pace, I don’t have spin, I don’t have swing, but I have a little bit of brain!"

The West Indies white-ball captain said he is not thinking much about the upcoming T20 World Cup. "Why think about the T20 World Cup when we are playing the IPL? Let's deal with the present. To be honest, World Cup is irrelevant at this point of time; we are playing the IPL tournament. When you are in a tournament as an individual, you look to think about present and not look too far ahead."