Kieron Pollard and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (PTI and BCCI Photos) NEW DELHI: Young batsman Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continues to attract attention in the IPL with his fearless approach, earning praise from many, including Kieron Pollard. Ahead of the match, Pollard admitted he was impressed, but also urged caution about the hype surrounding such a young player.“At 15 I was still in school and playing club cricket. But again, it’s exciting. It’s very exciting to see, you know, a young lad taking the world by storm. And using his youthful exuberance to his advantage. And may it continue for him. And, you know, for Indian cricket as well,” Pollard told reporters.
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Devdutt Padikkal press conference: Chinnaswamy’s pitch, Tim David’s strength and RCB’s batting strategyPollard stressed that while Sooryavanshi’s rise is exciting, it’s important to remember how quickly public opinion can change. He warned against celebrating players only in good times and then ignoring them in bad times.“We keep churning out talent. And we need to keep encouraging it. One of the things I always say is Let’s not ride on the bandwagon when it’s here. And when you have a couple of setbacks and guys kind of figure it out. Then we just cut corners along the way. And we forget everything. I think that’s the biggest fear for me as an individual,” he noted, noting that we’re all runners.“And then when something happens. And so it’s talent again. He’s doing well. And long may he last.”Pollard also spoke about the importance of experienced players in the game, especially with stars like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli still going strong. He said fans should respect veterans and allow them to decide when to retire.“Everyone has a different motivation to play for a long time… Dhoni is still playing at 44… Fortunately, I am still playing all over the world at 39,” he added.“Again, what we do too, these guys have done well in cricket overall, but we tend to just look at age… I believe we should continue to honor these guys… And let them decide when it’s time.”
