Karthik and Pandya writing new chapters in the finishing role of Indian Cricket

Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya have registered trademarks for the finisher's role in the Indian Cricket Team. Dinesh Karthik, the hard-hitting finisher for Bangalore in the Indian T20 League was given the super striker of the season award. He is one of the finest cricketers in the finisher's role but rarely came into the limelight because of MS Dhoni. MS was the backbone of the side back then and Karthik’s impact never matched that of the legendary skipper. He thus was restricted to a very few opportunities to don the Indian blue.

On the other hand, Hardik Pandya is an excellent all-rounder who hits boundaries at will and also has the ability to build an innings. Now being in tremendous touch, both have joined the squad to add greater depth to India’s T20I batting lineup.

Days changed and so did the role of a finisher. Now it asks for a batter who has the ability to smash the ball from the very beginning of his innings keeping the demand in mind. We barely have players like MS Dhoni anymore who have the ability to take the game towards the very end and keep their nerves calm to finish the game. Thus, hard-hitting shots from the beginning are more than necessary at the moment.

Modern cricket demands an aggressive nature of batting style as the bowlers have the capability to try something different in every ball. So to play the role of a finisher, there is no certain template other than just to keep yourself calm and of course to hit it out of the park. 

Pandya’s holding an innings as well as hard-hitting skill is a great asset for the national team. The new form of  Pandya has the ability to hit the ball on merit and not just on a random basis. He’s got the patience now which was lagging behind for the past few years.

Karthik on the other hand is known to remain calm and composed while hitting the ball anywhere in the 360-degree circle. DK has reached to such an extent that he can score boundaries no matter what the bowler is bowling. His range and strike rate make him one of the best in the world right now. 

Both are known for making comebacks, and Karthik and Pandya now look like two of the brightest stars who can help team India lift their 2nd T20 World Championship.

Their best comebacks came in the recent Indian T20 League where both were unstoppable and it was a pleasure to watch for the spectators. No doubt they are in the best versions of themselves at the moment and this will give the team a lot of hope in dire situations.