IPL 2021: 'We did not finish well with ball and bat,' says MI's Kieron Pollard

Mumbai Indias standin skipper Kieron Pollard said his team failed to grab its chances both with the bat and ball after putting Chennai Super Kings under pressure during their 20run defeat in the first match of the UAE leg of the IPL 2021 here on SundayPollards bowlers had reduced CSK to 244 in the powerplay and with Ambati Rayudu injured after being hit on his elbow by Adam Milne Mumbai Indians had the opportunity to restrict CSK to a low score But they allowed opener Ruturaj Gaikwad to bat through the innings for an unbeaten 88 and he helped by useful cameos by Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo guided Chennai to 1566 in 20 oversIn response Mumbai lost three quick wickets and though Saurabh Tiwary struck an unbeaten fifty others failed to give him support and they fell short by 20 runsKieron Pollard who led the side as the team management decided to give regular skipper Rohit Sharma some rest blamed his batsmen for failing to score 150 in the matchEven though they got 150 as a batting team we couldve gotten that Losing three wickets was a cardinal sin for us Given the circumstances Saurabh batted really well We kept losing wickets at regular intervals It was disappointing to lose the match after we had done so well at the start Pollard said on SundayRuturaj batted really well In T20 cricket if one person bats through he can hurt you We didnt finish off well with the ball Losing by 20 runs you know those were the extra runs we conceded he said adding the wicket was good and helped the bowlers Surface was good the new ball had movement our seamers got early wickets But we had to continue that momentum all the way he addedChennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni was happy that his team managed to come out of the woods and won the match He praised Gaikwad for his superb innings that helped them reach a defendable totalAt 30 for 4 you want to put up a respectable score I felt Rutu and Bravo got us more than what we expected We thought of 140 to get close to 160 was tremendous he saidThe wicket was twopaced slightly slow to start Also its difficult if youre batting lower down if you dont get a chance to see what is happening you want to go hard Rayudu got injured so it was tough to come back from there but we batted sensibly and finished superbly It was sensible for one batter to bat right through to the end said DhoniMan of the Match Gaikwad said it was his best knock so far and he was happy to play a role in the teams victoryIt was one of my top innings until now given the pressure we were in because all the senior batsmen were out I had to grind it out bat till 1012 overs give myself time and push for 120130 and then slowly 140150 was possible It was a matter of spending time in the middle said the 24yearold from Pune MaharashtraAsked about the backing he got from Dhoni since last year Gaikwad said that has helped him a lot Mahi Bhai everyone in the CSK management once they back you they dont make you think anything but positive things The Sri Lanka tour and preparation coming here helped a lot he saidHe said batting on this strip was a bit difficult as there was some assistance for the bowlers Initially there was seam and swing movement but I had to take my chances against the spinners Jaddu just came in so I had to take a chance and it came off wellBravo who played a crucial role in the win both with the bat and ball said it was a good feeling to start the campaign with a winTo start our campaign with a win is a very good feeling Im feeling good was trying to protect myself in the last stage of the CPL Had one bowling session in the nets here and I felt good Look forward to getting through four overs in the other games tooBatting is very important now I bat lower down the order with a batting lineup like CSK but its about trying to win key moments capitalise on the 12 balls I get Or if theres 11 overs left adjust and adapt Its about keeping my shape adjusting In five balls if you can make 20 it can make a difference like today I have the ability to bat can only do so much when there are few opportunities Ruturaj batted really well hes a quality player Has the appetite for runs good to have someone like him who can steady the team and others bat around him Bravo saidCheck out all the latest news and updates on IPL 2021This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliabilitsy and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever