Mumbai Indians legend Kieron Pollard had a quirky response when commentators asked him if Australian batter Tim David was the perfect replacement for him in the MI side. Celebrating his 36th birthday, Pollard was interviewed by the commentary team during the ongoing IPL 2023 fixture between the five-time champions and the Gujarat Titans.
First, the commentators wished Pollard his birthday and then asked him if Mumbai Indians have found his replacement in Tim David. Reacting to this question, Pollard said, "There is only one Kieron Pollard. Tim David will be Tim David (smiles)." Talking about the match, Pollard's Mumbai batted incredibly well and posted a massive 218-run total on the back of Suryakumar Yadav's 103 in 49 balls.
Then in the second innings, the Mumbai Indians gave Pollard the perfect birthday as they registered a big 27-run win to consolidate their place in the top four. Akash Madhawal was the star with the ball as he picked up three big wickets and gave away just 31 runs in his four overs.
But the Player of the Match award went to Suryakumar Yadav for his stunning century. As received he the award, SKY described this knock as one of the best in his T20 career. He also spoke about his approach and stated that he just tries to express himself on the field.
He said, "Can say that (was one of my best T20 knocks). Whenever I get runs I think the team should win, most importantly we batted first today and said that we would keep the same tempo when you are chasing 200-220. There was a lot of dew on the ground, it was there from the 7-8th over and I knew what shots to play, I was not thinking about hitting straight, I had two shots in mind - one over fine leg and one over third man. There is lots and lots of practice before the game, so when I come into the game I am very clear and just go express myself."