Gave Bumrah new ball because of conditions: Pollard
Hyderabad: Chennai Super Kings’ troubles went from bad to worse as their 10-wicket loss against four-time champions Mumbai Indians on Friday more or less ended their hopes of a playoff berth. However, it was not the loss that was embarrassing but the way they went down without a fight.
Super Kings were reduced to 3/4 at one stage and if not for Sam Curran’s 52-run knock, they would have folded up for much less total. Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah wreaked havoc with the new ball with the former taking four wickets while the Indian scalped two. Speaking after the match, stand-in skipper Kieron Pollard, who led the side in the absence of Rohit Sharma who missed the match with a niggle, said they went for Bumrah with the new ball from the other end after seeing the seam moment in the first over.
“We would have gone with either Nathan (Coulter-Nile) or a spinner with Boult to open the bowling. But after seeing the first over, we opted for Bumrah. Both are world class bowlers. And (Ambati) Rayudu was batting at the other end. He has been playing well against us for the last few years. So we wanted our better bowler against their better batter and the plan worked out,” he said after the victory.
MI firmly placed at the top of the points table and set for securing playoffs berth. However, he felt they may not tinker with the playing XI and experiment. “No thought as of now. Winning is a habit and losing can become a habit too. We don’t want to experiment too much. We have world class players on the bench. Opportunities will come and nothing happens before time,” he added.
He further revealed he relished leading the side. “It was fantastic. We hope Rohit comes back soon. He has done really well as a captain and as a batsman. He is our leader. We are disappointed a bit not to have him on the ground, he concluded.
Meanwhile, Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming said they were stunned at their own performance. “We were stunned. We had a terrible powerplay. It was tough watching from the sidelines. We had two youngsters getting an opportunity but unfortunately, they could not perform. We tried to put as many runs as possible and tried to give them a tough time. It wasn’t to be,” he rued.
He also lauded Sam Curran for his brave heart. “He is doing everything right. He has taken every opportunity. His performance shows a lot of character. Overall it is a disappointing season for us. Going forward, there will be chances for others. We have three more games and we want to finish the season well,” he added.
