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IPL 2020: ‘Finishers like him are rare,’ Tom Moody names an Indian player ‘you’d pick everyday of the week’
IPL 2020: Following the international retirement of the MS Dhoni and the fact that he doesn’t have too many IPL seasons left in him either, India remains on the hunt to find its next finisher.
When the word finisher is mentioned, the one MS Dhoni always comes to mind. However, following the international retirement of the former India captain and the fact that he doesn’t have too many IPL seasons left in him either, India remains on the hunt to find its next finisher.
However, Tom Moody lavished praise on Mumbai Indians all-rounder Hardik Pandya, believing that finishers like him are rare. Moody’s comments come after Pandya struck a cameo of 27 off 14 balls against Delhi Capitals in Qualifier 1 of the IPL 2020. His knock did not include a single four, but he did in fact clear the boundary five times. Eventually, his knock along with Ishan Kishan’s half-century propelled MI to 200/5 a total which did not look likely at the end of the 15-over mark.
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“Finishers like him are rare, and when he’s in that type of form, you’d pick him everyday of the week because players that can put a finishing touch like he did – took the score from what we thought was going to be 170, 175 range – it’s game over. That is an impactful moment in the game, even though he was out there for only 14 balls,” Moody told ESPNCricinfo.
Besides Moody, Gautam Gambhir was impressed by Pandya, saying had it not been for him, MI wouldn’t have ended with a total as big as they did. Pandya and Kishan took 78 off the last five with the all-rounder striking the ball at almost 265.
“It was unbelievable. At one stage you were expecting Mumbai to get what, 170? From there, getting to 200 was unbelievable and that is where I think they pushed Mumbai out of the contest. And then the way they started. Hardik Pandya getting those 38 off 14, 15 balls against Rabada, Nortje is serious batting.” Gambhir said.
