Kieron Pollard has recovered from his injury to make a successful comeback to the team. Mumbaiindians.com caught up with him to talk about his IPL season and the team’s preparation for remaining matches.

Excerpts

How is the team preparing for the remaining matches?

We are looking forward to it. Audience support is very vital for us as a team. For me, as I said after the last game, all we need is confidence and we need all hands on deck pointing in one direction that is winning and positivity. Once those things are put in place things will look up for us.

How has this IPL season been for you?

I have had a couple of scores and have won a couple of games. The season started with an injury and I had to work my way back in. When I am working my way back, there is no room for it at this stage or international stage as your performances are being scrutinised day in and day out and it started slowly. Once I get my body in order, I will perform and there won’t be much fuss about it.

In the match against KKR you had hit three sixes in Satish’s over. Was it planned or were you hitting the ball on merit?

Everything we do is for a reason. We knew we had to make an over from somewhere. Satish was bowling well, but on a Wankhede wicket you back yourself up. We thought Sunil Narine was bowling that over, but when he didn’t our plans changed and it came off.

How important was that innings against KKR?

Smashing the fastest 50 is neither here nor there. Those sort of records don’t matter. What I think about is winning. Even if it’s six required off one or four off one ball, I am willing to do that. That would be my contribution to the winning cause. Sometimes we forget what our players do and we just talk about results. It was important for me personally but the record of fastest 50 wasn’t really on my mind it was about getting the job done, finishing off the game, contributing to the win, end of script.

You had a week long break, what did you do?

I slept for three days, did some physio in between that and then was back to training. My wife was here, so we enjoyed some time as well.

How’s the team adjusting to the conditions in Vizag?

Mumbai is hot as well. As I keep telling the guys who I hang around with, we don’t play cricket in the rain, so if rain falls then we honestly we can’t play. We have to take this kind of weather. Where I am from, the Caribbean, it’s pretty hot but not as hot as this but pretty hot as well, so I’d rather play in the hot weather than cool. For me personally I’ve adjusted, but maybe some of the guys are struggling a bit, but it’s only T20 cricket. We have no choice but to adapt, it’s our home for the next 2 games and we have to do it.

When you are batting, people in the stands are in a danger spot! Do you have any message for them?

Just keep watching, hopefully no one gets injured and hopefully we can send more balls into the crowd and as I said we have 4 more games to go. We hope we send more balls into the crowd, do it for the Mumbai Indians and see where it takes us.