The batting coach of the Mumbai Indians, Kieron Pollard, urged supporters to be understanding of Jasprit Bumrah, who gave his third most expensive spell in the Indian Premier League, saying a fast bowling genius like Jasprit Bumrah is entitled to have an off day or not have a good season.”
Sunrisers Hyderabad smashed Bumrah for 54 runs in four overs during their six-wicket victory on Wednesday night, as the pacer went wicketless once more.
After Ryan Rickelton’s 123 not out helped the Mumbai Indians reach their highest-ever first-innings score of 243/5, SRH came all out firing to make 249/4 in 18.4 overs.
“When a cricketer is not doing well, we look at every single aspect as to why he’s not doing well and there is no difference to Jasprit Bumrah,” PTI quoted Pollard telling reporters when asked about several factors around Bumrah’s bowling in this IPL including lack of pace.
“He has done this for years. As a human being, you’re entitled as well to make mistakes, not have a good day, not have a good season, not have a good couple months. I just feel that we need to sometimes remember the good things that he has done.”
“Yes, we try to live in the present and he hasn’t been up to mark, but he has still been a No. 1 bowler for Mumbai Indians and India over a period of time. I just feel that sometimes we can cut some slack to us cricketers sometimes because, we are unfortunate to always be in the public eye so when we do bad, it’s always been highlighted.”
According to Pollard, giving the right-arm pacer some leeway can even benefit him in the long term.
“I know he’s going to bounce back with greater heights and take wickets and we all, again, (are) going to be singing Bumrah-Bumrah not only for Mumbai Indians, but (also) for India.”
Pollard acknowledged that the Mumbai Indians had struggled to play a full game, but he refused to concede that they have been “defeated” this season.
“We haven’t been able to string a complete game of cricket together as a team. It has not been as consistent as we would have hoped,” he said.
“We have accepted that (but) we have not accepted defeat. When I said defeat, I didn’t want the headlines to be that Mumbai Indians now are defeated because mathematically and from a points’ perspective, we are still much in the tournament.
The former MI player said his team hasn’t yet delivered a whole game and declined to talk much about the Wankhede Stadium’s pitches, which have lots of runs but don’t help bowlers.
“There’s no point in harping on the type of wickets and all of that. Two teams are going to play on the surface, and it all boils down to who plays the better cricket,” he said.
“But what I can safely say, in the dressing room and (with) the spirits of the guys, they are willing and wanting to fight. These things happen. You could have been worst off. But at the end of it, we’re still playing a game of cricket and there are a lot of other things more serious in life as well. So it is what it is,” Pollard added.
