Team India captain Virat Kohli feels that Hardik Pandya is emerging as a good finisher, helping India win matches in any situation despite that Pandya has proven himself during the ODI series to be a batsman who is in his form and helped India build innings.
On Sunday Pandya scored 42 runs in 22 balls and hit two sixes in the last over that helped India win the second match of the T20 International series and take the lead over Australia.
After former Indian Captain, MS Dhoni retired and Suresh Raina followed him, the team India has been looking for a finisher. Hardik Pandya has come out as a great option to fulfill the space along with Ravindra Jadeja as both of them forming a power-packed cricket pair.
"The reason for him coming to the team in 2016 was his pure ability. He was natural, raw talent... now he is quite experienced by playing a lot of T20 cricket in the IPL and for India. He now realises that this is his time, in the next 4-5 years, to really become that bankable middle-order player that can win you games from anywhere. You need that finisher, and he is becoming that for us. And he is hungry, he is going to keep getting better," said Kohli after the end of the match.
Pandya, who has not been able to bowl during this limited overs series, had earlier on the tour said he is trying to play as a pure batsman, trying to take the game deep.
He acquitted himself well in the role of a batsman, scoring a couple of 90's in the three-match ODI series.
Asked if he sees himself as a pure batsman or as a finisher, Pandya said that he doesn't mind playing either role. He added that he prefers to play according to situations.
"To be honest it does not matter to me. It is the situation that I have always played to. If I have to stay there and dig deep I will, if I have to finish the job then I will do that. Whatever the teams requires, I always try to that and things are coming pretty well," he said at the post-match media interaction.
Kohli added that Pandya's biggest advantage is that he plays with passion.
"His plans are on the right path and he plays with all his heart. You can't win games like these by just calculating through your mind, I think you need to bring that passion out while playing for your country and he certainly has got that, competing and executing at the highest level. I hope he does that and keeps going strong," said Kohli.
(With agency inputs)
