‘The Hitman of cricket’: Kieron Pollard opens up on Rohit Sharma’s greatness

Contributor
Aishik Das
‘The Hitman of cricket’: Kieron Pollard opens up on Rohit Sharma’s greatness image

Former West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard has opened up on his former Mumbai Indians (MI) teammate Rohit Sharma's greatness in the world of cricket.

Often regarded as the 'Hitman of Cricket', Rohit Sharma has been an icon for young players around the world, with his unwavering dedication and love towards the game.

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Sharma made his ODI debut for the Indian national team in 2007, was a part of the T20 World Cup-winning side in 2007, was handed his Test debut in 2013, and later went to play for the Mumbai Indians after a successful stint with the now-defunct Deccan Chargers.

He joined the Paltans in 2011 but became the captain in 2013, midway through the tournament, succeding the Aussie veteran Ricky Ponting after a disappointing start to the season. Sharma led MI to their first-ever IPL trophy in that very season by defeating the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the final.

What followed were five IPL trophies in ten years as the skipper of the most successful franchise in the history of the cash-rich league, before Hardik Pandya was given the captaincy in 2024.

Kieron Pollard was among the star performers of the high-profile squad alongside Sharma, who tasted the success together and up close.

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What did Pollard say?

Former Windies all-rounder Kieron Pollard, who has played for the Mumbai Indians for 12 long seasons, is now the batting coach of the Mumbai-based franchise. He has seen Rohit Sharma up close like no one else. Recently, the Windies all-rounder spoke about the greatness of the Mumbai southpaw in an interview with Star Sports.

Check out the tweet below.

Speaking to Star Sports, Pollard said, "I've known Rohit since Under-19 days and Under-19 cricket, and I've seen the transformation from a boy to a man. The success story continues in all three formats."

Pollard further added that Sharma has defied logic due to the lazy elegance he portrays on the field and acknowledged him as being the most successful captain in MI's history.

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"He has defied logic, you know. You keep seeing that sort of lazy elegance that he portrays on the cricket field and I'm not surprised for the success that he has had. He is the most successful captain in Mumbai Indians' history and you can't take that away."

He also mentioned that players like Sharma need to stick around as long as possible so that younger generations could pick up a thing or two from them.

"So for me, these sort of guys and these sort of players, you want them to play for as long as possible so you can get their knowledge, be able to pick their brains so that they can help the future genrations rather than sort of pre-empt retirement because as the saying goes, 'You don't miss the water until your well runs dry.'"