Dwayne Bravo first thought of becoming a cricketer while perched on his father’s shoulders watching Brian Lara get a grand welcome after scoring his record-breaking 400. Dominic Thornley started his first-class career sharing the New South Wales dressing with the Waugh brothers. But despite their past proximity with the game’s greats, the two youngsters in the Mumbai Indians squad become starry-eyed at the mention of Shaun Pollock.

With their designated icon Sachin Tendulkar not fit to take the field at first, and now not quite leading by example, Pollock has been silently inspiring this side. The loose-limbed easy-going South African, who lost his captaincy after the famous D/L miscalculation during the 2003 World Cup, was outstanding as stand-in skipper in Tendulkar’s absence and is heading a disciplined bowling department. While the more animated Shane Warne is receiving accolades as IPL’s No. 1 man-manager, Pollock has once again been the unsung achiever. As he did all through his career, the man with an exceptionally high cricketing IQ has relished being on the back bench.

Pollock’s spell of 4-0-12-3 today may not read as well as Shoaib Akhtar’s 3-0-11-4 at Kolkata the other day, but it was equally decisive. And when Pollock’s wards, Bravo and Thornley, followed the path shown by their master, Kolkata Knight Riders were dismissed for the lowest score of the tournament — 67 — and the worst defeat IPL has seen so far. Losing by eight wickets with 87 balls to spare in a Twenty20 game is like a Test match finishing on Day One.

... contd.