West Indies vs India 2017: Hardik Pandya ready to don the finisher's role
What’s the story?
Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who is slowly cementing his spot in the Indian limited-overs side with some brilliant performances of late, has conceded that he wants to take the responsibility of being a finisher. He also pointed out that he doesn’t see himself as a one-dimensional player, who goes after every ball, but instead, is looking forward to playing according to what the scoreboard demands.
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Speaking ahead of the fifth ODI against West Indies in Jamaica, Pandya said, “I feel that you should be brave enough to do things. I back my game, I back myself, I see the situation and I like to play accordingly. I don't count myself as a one-dimensional player. I feel that I should see the scoreboard and play accordingly. That's how I'm going to learn cricket and that's how I'm going to make sure that I finish the games. I've been known for my sixes but I've played those (hard-working) innings as well. Throughout my life I've batted at a number where I can just go out and hit from the first ball. In the last game the situation required me to play for singles, which I was doing. Unfortunately, I got out but my plan was always that I should finish the game, take the game deep.”
In case you didn’t know...
Ever since making his ODI debut against New Zealand at Dharamsala, Hardik Pandya has won the skipper’s confidence and has established himself as one of the vital cogs in the Indian ODI team. In the 16 matches he played for India, Hardik has scored 289 runs in 10 innings at an average of over 41 and an extraordinary strike-rate of 135.04, something that shows how good the 23-year-old from Baroda has been. With the ball, he was decent as he scalped 18 wickets at an average of just over of 35 and an economy of 5.50.
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The heart of the matter
Over the last couple of years, there were some serious doubts over the finishing abilities of former Indian skipper MS Dhoni as the wicketkeeper-batsman has found himself in situations where he has failed to finish off the matches that he would have easily done in the past. It was very evident from his performance in the fourth ODI against Windies where Dhoni batted for 114 balls, scoring just 54 runs and failed to take the team home.
Pandya was playing really well and scored 20 off 21 balls before he was castled by Jason Holder with just 31 runs needed off 29 balls. Eventually, India went on to lose the game by 11 runs.
With Dhoni’s finishing abilities vanishing quickly, India should look for a batsman who can take care of the finisher’s role in the years to come. The team management should figure out and groom a batsman for the 2019 World Cup.
Also read: When Sachin Tendulkar foresaw Hardik Pandya’s meteoric rise as a cricketer
What’s next?
The Men in Blue are set to play a handful of ODI matches before the 2019 World Cup and they have enough time to find a replacement for MS Dhoni as a finisher. India’s next ODI assignment will be the five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in August.
Author’s take
Hardik Pandya has shown that he can succeed with the bat and take the finisher’s role, something that was evident from the way he batted in the ODI series against England and in the Champions Trophy final. He has the ability to go after the bowling right from ball one and at the same time, he can play the waiting game and take the game deep. The team management should also consider Kedar Jadhav for the role, but, Pandya should be their first-choice as he is used to do the job as a finisher for Baroda and Mumbai Indians.