'This reaction was over the top. What if Pollard had turned back, reacted': Ex-MI stars slam Krunal for his send-off
Krunal on Sunday gave a friendly send-off to the West Indian, who walked off without reacting to his friend's antics
It's no secret that Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya share a great camaderie both on and off the field. While Krunal rose through the ranks since his addition to the team in 2016, Pollard has been a crucial element of the Mumbai Indians set-up for over a decade now. The two were up against each other during the IPL 2022 game between Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. (Follow IPL 2022 Coverage)
Riding on skipper KL Rahul’s 103 not out, Lucknow scored 168 for six in 20 overs before restricting Mumbai to 132/8. The IPL newbies recorded a comfortable 36-run win with Rahul making headlines for his second ton of the season. Krunal shone with the ball to bowl an excellent last over against his former IPL franchise. The Baroda all-rounder claimed three wickets including the prized scalp of Pollard.
Krunal gave a friendly send-off to the West Indian, who walked off without reacting to his friend's antics. Many fans felt that his gesture was a bit too much. Former Mumbai Indians player Parthiv Patel also spoke about the incident and said Krunal's celebration was "over the top", especially when Pollard hasn't had a great IPL season so far.
“Krunal and Pollard are very good friends, but things are different on the field. Pollard has not been scoring runs. Also, Mumbai have also been on a losing spree. It’s important to give people space at that point. In the dressing room, you can have as much banter as you want for the whole year. But, I feel this reaction was over the top," Parthiv told Cricbuzz.
Former pacer RP Singh also opined on the bizarre send-off and said things could have turned ugly if Pollard's reaction was not a placid one.
“Nobody likes losing. When a player is not doing well, one should avoid such things. You don’t know what emotions he is going through. What if he (Pollard) had turned back and reacted. He was walking back disappointed at being unable to win matches and that reaction was definitely too much," he said.
Notably, Pollard had removed Krunal (1) earlier in the game. "I was so thankful that I got his (Pollard) wicket otherwise he would have eaten my brain throughout my life because he got me out and now that it's 1-1 at least he will speak less," said the LSG all-rounder after the game.
