Kieron Pollard finds chasing ‘a lot more difficult’

Kieron Pollard, the Mumbai Indians allrounder, has conceded he finds chasing difficult, and believed that regardless of whether a team was chasing or setting a target, doing it well was what mattered.

Owing to injury, Kieron Pollard did not participate in West Indies' successful World T20 campaign in which the team chose to chase in every game.

Unlike the teams preferring to chase targets, and win, in this year's Indian Premier League, Kieron Pollard finds chasing “a lot more difficult.”

> Preview: Struggling Mumbai Indians to take on Delhi Daredevils

The West Indian allrounder, who showed signs of returning to form in Mumbai Indian's resounding victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore on Wednesday, said, “Yes, you know what you have to chase, but you still have to go out there and get it. You lose a couple of wickets, you are on the back foot, you have to change your game. At the end of the day it is a matter of doing what you need to do and doing it well. If you chase, chase well. If you are batting first, bat properly.”

Speaking to the mediapersons ahead of Saturday's clash with Delhi Daredevils, Pollard said, “If teams are taking the pressure it goes to show the confidence each and every team – doesn’t matter their position at the start, they back themselves to get it. I guess with the dew around as well, it is something that plays a role as well in captains’ wanting to bat second. If that’s a trend, we will try to continue that, but there are situations when you have to bat first. If you bat well batting first and come out and bowl properly, there is no reason you can’t win.”

From Delhi Daredevils, Karun Nair pointed to the “teams being smarter” while chasing. “They have come to a certain strategy that they know how to chase. When to go after which bowler. I think the teams are chasing really well. In the past years, chasing has been a problem for every team. Every team has really worked on that. Probably that’s why teams are winning chasing.”