‘What if he reacted?’: Parthiv Patel slams Krunal Pandya for ‘over the top’ send-off to Kieron Pollard

Former India wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel has slammed Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) all-rounder Krunal Pandya for his ‘over the top’ send-off to Mumbai Indians (MI) star Kieron Pollard in the clash between the two sides in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 on Sunday.

LSG defeated Mumbai Indians comprehensively by 36 runs at the Wankhede Stadium to extend Rohit Sharma & Co’s winless streak to eight matches this season. Mumbai Indians failed to chase down the target of 169 runs against LSG as their batting line-up faltered once again with Pandya starring with a three-wicket haul for the KL Rahul-led side.

While he bowled a brilliant spell, Pandya caught everyone’s attention when he gave a unique send-off to Pollard after dismissing his ex-Mumbai Indians teammate in the game. Krunal went on to jump on Pollard from the back and gave him a kiss on his helmet as the Mumbai Indians all-rounder departed in the 20th over of his side’s run-chase.

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While Pollard didn’t react to the send-off from Pandya, former Team India and Mumbai Indians star Parthiv lashed out at Krunal for going overboard with his celebration. While Patel insisted Pandya and Pollard are good friends off the field, the LSG all-rounder should not have avoided the send-off given MI’s woeful performances this season.

“Krunal and Pollard are very good friends, but things are different on the field. Pollard has not been scoring runs. Also, Mumbai have also been on a losing spree. It’s important to give people space at that point. In the dressing room, you can have as much banter as you want for the whole year. But, I feel this reaction was over the top,” Parthiv said on Cricbuzz.

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Asked to chase 169 runs at the Wankhede Stadium, many had thought MI would bring an end to their losing streak and bag their first win against LSG this season. They also got off to a good start with a 49-run stand for the first wicket between skipper Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan before Kishan’s departure triggered a collapse.

Pollard batted till the final over of the game but failed to take his side home as he could only manage 20 off 19 balls and was dismissed on the first ball of the 20th over. Mumbai Indians have now lost eight games in a row this season and are the only team yet to get off the mark.