By IANS,
Mumbai : Mumbai Indians stand-in captain Shaun Pollock admitted Sunday that the score of 154 against Deccan Chargers could have been defended but in the face of Adam Gilchrist’s onslaught there was nothing that could be done.
“It was a competitive score, but with Gilchrist on fire we could not do much,” Pollock said adding that the team was missing injured captain Sachin Tendulkar as their first victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL) continued to remain elusive.
“We need to win at least seven of our remaining matches to qualify and we are looking for that first win. When the first victory comes, others will follow as the confidence level of the players will increase.”
From the 14 matches, Mumbai Indians have played and lost four and have 10 matches to go from which they have to win at least seven to qualify for the semi-finals.
Pollock said that when on a losing streak it would be beneficial to go back to the drawing board and attempt to regroup, which was not possible with the tight schedule.
Pollock had to take the place of stand-in skipper Harbhajan Singh, who has been temporarily suspended from the IPL after allegedly slapping Kings XI Punjab paceman Sreesanth in Mohali Friday.
He added the team was not thinking about Harbhajan’s issue but was rather focused on the task on hand.
Deccan Chargers captain V.V.S Laxman said it was great to register their first win in such a convincing fashion and was confident that his team would now play to their full potential.
“The wicket was good and it was a good toss to win. Our bowlers stuck to their job and Gilchrist’s amazing knock helped us win convincingly after two close losses,” he said.