MS Dhoni and Kieron Pollard are always involved in intriguing battles, with the former having the upper hand over the latter.
Mumbai Indians (MI) vs Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is a blockbuster rivalry, and emotions always run high when these two teams face off. Another brazen incident unfolded during the fifth match of IPL 2013 in Chennai when MS Dhoni and Kieron Pollard clashed in the final moments of a thriller.
With 30 runs required off 16 deliveries, Pollard ran but did not bowl, stopping in the follow-up, to which MS Dhoni did not react at all. The crowd gained a voice and Dhoni did not just let it go.
When Pollard again ran to bowl, he did not stop and released the ball, but this time MS Dhoni moved out of the way, indicating that he was not ready to face it. As he stepped aside, the crowd began to roar, and Pollard and Dhoni shared a wry smile to keep the audience engaged.
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Pollard often pauses in his follow-through just to break the batter’s concentration and get an idea of what he is attempting. But Dhoni is smart enough not to reveal his cards and made sure to return it to the Caribbean all-rounder in the same delivery.
MS Dhoni vs Kieron Pollard: What do the numbers say?
MS Dhoni and Kieron Pollard are always involved in intriguing battles, with the former having the upper hand over the latter. In the IPL, Dhoni has scored 100 runs with a strike rate of 196.07 and a balls per boundary ratio of 3.18 in ten outings.
However, Pollard also dismissed him three times, averaging 33.33 against the former Indian captain. Overall in the T20s, Dhoni batted at 177.04 and found the fence every 3.81 deliveries while getting out just three times in 12 innings.
That said, Pollard has always tried his best despite not being a bowling specialist and occasionally got Dhoni out. With the bat, he has always scored a lot of goals against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), even in big playoff matches.
This battle will not be seen again in competitive cricket now that Pollard no longer plays in the IPL. But everything we saw in the past was nothing short of extraordinary.
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