Can't afford to take foot off the gas: Pollock

14th May 2008

In the post-match press conference after their last win, Shaun Pollock seemed confident about the resurgence of his side Mumbai Indians and was proud of the way his boys have clawed their way back into the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL). The only thing he seemed wary about is the 7-day break his team has before the next match against Kolkata.

But he hoped the break would do them good and give them a boost as their skipper and Icon player Sachin Tendulkar, who sat out in their first seven games due to a groin injury, is making a comeback against the Kolkata Knight Riders at Mumbai.

Pollock, who served as stand-in captain for Tendulkar, said that his side has done well in the past three games and will now take it one step at a time and try to get into the semi-finals. The Mumbai Indians started off their three-match winning streak against the Kolkata Knight Riders in an away game and they now face the same Sourav Ganguly-led side in a week's time at their home ground.

The former South African all-rounder said, "Well I think when you've got a seven-day gap, it is a bit dangerous to get into the nets and keep working. You need to have a mental break. It actually comes at a nice time half-way through the tournament."

"So I think we have three days where we'll just have a break from the game, watch a few games, go to the gym and do a few things, get over a few niggles we've got. "

He said that his side will then come in rejuvenated for the next three days practising hard and putting their plans against Kolkata to the test.

Pollock, who was Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2003, said that for Mumbai to qualify for the next stage they only need three or four wins from their next seven matches. But even then, they can't afford to "take their foot off the gas."

Pollock, a veteran of more than 100 Test matches and 300 ODIs for South Africa, said that his team was not afraid of Shoaib Akhtar's entry into the Kolkata side.

He was confident that players like Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya have played the ‘Rawalpindi Express' many times so they already will have a fair idea of what to expect from him.