'Let's not judge Rohit Sharma... you'll sing his praises soon': Kieron Pollard says MI legend has 'earned the right to…'

Rohit Sharma, who scored a match-winning 76 against New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final last month to lead India to a second successive ICC title win, has struggled to find form in IPL yet again. The poor start to the season, where he scored just 20 off 21 balls in three innings led to fans calling for his retirement, while experts like Michael Vaughan questioned his place in the Mumbai Indians playing XI. MI batting coach Kieron Pollard responded to the criticism ahead of the team's game against Lucknow Super Giants on Friday at the Ekana Stadium. Rohit Sharma bats in the nets during a practice session ahead of an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants(PTI)

Rohit has managed scores of 13, 8, and 0 so far in the ongoing IPL season. Following his dismissal by Mohammed Siraj in the third game, Vaughan said that the 37-year-old had "average" numbers in IPL and was only part of the lineup because of his past glory. "If your name's not Rohit Sharma, you're probably losing your place in the side at some stage with those numbers," he said on Cricbuzz. Experts like Manoj Tiwary and Virender Sehwag, on the same platform, criticised Rohit as well. But Pollard remained unfazed about Rohit's form, saying he has "earned the right" to "not be pressurised".

"I've played alongside Rohit since Under-19 cricket and he has forged his name and etched his name in history in the record books, in different situations, different formats of the game," Pollard said. "He is a legend of the game in his own right, and as an individual as well.

"There are times when you have a couple of low scores … he has earned the right as an individual to now enjoy his cricket and not be pressurised in certain situations. So let's not judge on a couple of low scores. In cricket, we know we fail more than we succeed and I'm sure we'll be singing his praises when he gives us that big score and then we'll be on to the next hot topic."

Pollard also admitted that Mumbai Indians are not fussed about the kind of pitch they will get in Lucknow. They struggled on slower surfaces in Chennai and Gujarat, but back home for their third game, they bundled out Kolkata for just 116, before scripting an eight-wicket win.

"For me and for us, I think it's more about adaptability in whatever is presented on a particular day," Pollard said on Thursday. "As a former player and management, you want to be able to prepare for any eventuality and you try to control things that you can control, and the nature of the surfaces is something that we can't control as a management and as a playing group. So whatever is presented, that's how you get to be called world class and legends that you are able to adapt to anything that is in front of you."

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