West Indies all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard may have been pitted against each other in the opening match of the Indian Premier League 2018 on Saturday, but both decided to celebrate the occasion in a unique way.
Chennai Super Kings made a thrilling return to the IPL with a one-wicket win over Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, with both the players having contrasting fortunes.
While Pollard did not get a chance to bat or bowl in the contest, Bravo played what he termed was his ‘best ever’ innings as he scored a 30-ball 68 studded with seven sixes and three fours to power CSK to a win which looked unlikely for majority of the match.
Bravo also bowled a measly three-over spell in the death overs during the Mumbai Indians’ innings, giving away a mere 11 runs after going for 14 in his first over.
However, it was the identical jersey number that both Bravo and Pollard sported on Saturday which caught the eye.
Speaking after winning the Man of the Match, Bravo said, “Pollard is the first player to play 400 T20 games. So he has 400 on his back. And I’m the first bowler to get 400 wickets. So both of us said, ‘okay, if we both play the first game in the IPL, let’s do something different.’ It’s a great milestone for both of us personally.”
{{/usCountry}}Speaking after winning the Man of the Match, Bravo said, “Pollard is the first player to play 400 T20 games. So he has 400 on his back. And I’m the first bowler to get 400 wickets. So both of us said, ‘okay, if we both play the first game in the IPL, let’s do something different.’ It’s a great milestone for both of us personally.”
{{/usCountry}}He added, “Pollard spoke to Mumbai, I spoke to CSK and they allowed us to play in this game. Moving forward in the tournament, we both will go back to our respective numbers — 47 and 55. I’m happy that 400 is a lucky performance.”
It was in December 2017 when Bravo became the only bowler to have taken 400 wickets in T20 cricket. He achieved the feat during the Big Bash League (BBL) playing for Melbourne Renegades. Pollard, on the other hand, played his 400th match during the last edition of BBL while playing for the Adelaide Strikers.