The former India allrounder believes this IPL 2023 young cricketer on his way to plug the hole left in MI after the ouster of two of their finest performers.
Heading into the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) were left with a big hole in their playing combination and overall balance after the shocking retirement of veteran allrounder Kieron Pollard.
Even though Rohit Sharma and company brought in Australia’s rising young talent Cameron Green into their set-up with a whopping bid of INR 17.50 crores, it remained to be seen if the fast-bowling allrounder can plug the critical gap left by Pollard after he declined and left the scene post IPL 2022.
The IPL 2022 also reinforced how much of an able supporting hand and influential cog premier Indian allrounder Hardik Pandya was to Pollard and the entire MI juggernaut. The ouster of Pandya, who later became the successful Gujarat Titans (GT) captain, meant big trouble for the Mumbai franchise and exposed multiple chinks in their armoury in a disastrous previous campaign.
Cameron Green, therefore, carried huge pressure on his shoulders as he was required to not cover for the departure of the Pandya-Pollard duo but to also bolster the sinking ship of a side that finished right at the bottom of the pile last season and has been struggling in its transition years.
With seven innings under his belt, Cameron Green seems to have made an encouraging start towards helping MI bridge the Pollard and Pandya gap. The young gun has blasted 199 runs at an average of 49.75 while retaining an eye-catching strike-rate of 149.62, including two half-centuries. The 23-year-old has also taken five wickets.
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Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan believes Green is absolutely on the right track with his game and is on a headstart when it comes to ultimately filling the void left by two of MI’s greatest-ever players.
“Cameron Green has so far justified his price tag. Green can be a horse of long race for MI. After the departure of Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard, MI need an all-rounder and Green seems to be filling the void,” Pathan said while on host broadcaster Star Sports’ IPL special ‘Cricket Live’ show.
Green, who has been a regular Australia international, tipped for greatness by multiple prominent experts at the highest level, earned himself one more fan in the form of Pathan, who, too, reckons the cricketer would serve Australia and MI for a long time.
“Cameron Green is going to be the next superstar in world cricket. He’s a talented player and we are going to see more of him because he is raising his game with every passing day,” Pathan added.
