The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
How India’s search for a power-hitter for T20 World Cup is shaping up
GOING INTO the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia,dineshkarthikwasassignedthefinisher role and the batting line-up was built accordingly. However, there is still a question mark on who will be the player who will get the team over the line under pressure situations in the upcoming world cup in the Caribbean and US. While there are a few namesthatpopoutimmediately,theiriplfranchises are playing in the middle order or top order which does not expose them to high-intensitymusicduringthefinalovertheinnings.
Assumingindiawouldnotwanttogoback to Karthik at this stage of his career The Indian Express looks at the other possible contenders.
Hardik Pandya
Duringhisfirststintwith themumbaiindians,hardik Pandya batted in the latemiddle order and turned into a brutal player in the finaloversoftheinnings.even forindia,hebecamereliable intheroleatthetime.comingintobatwith75 needed off 38 balls against Australia in Sydney in 2020 Hardik nonchalantly smacked 37 of 18 balls clearing long boundaries with ease to get India over the line.
Theall-rounderwasatthepeakofhispowers
as a finisher in that phase of his career and could effortlessly clear the boundary at will. “Hehasagreatswingofthebat,agreatbatflow with its rhythm and timing of those movements.healsohasverygoodwrists.whenyou make the point of contact you need to be stableandhitagainstthestrongfrontside,”powerhitting Guru Julian Wood told this publication once.
However, his powers as a finisher started to decline steeply after 2020. In Gujarat Titans, Hardik started to bat as the middle order batter who would take his time initially consolidating the innings before going after the leather in the final overs. In his current stint with Mumbai Indians, as the top order was congested, Hardik was forced to go down to his previous role at the franchise. In three opportunitieswherehehadtofinishinhigh-pressurechasessofarintheseasonagainstgujarat Titans, Sunirisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings Hardik failed. He also seems to struggle to clear the ball from word go.
Shivam Dube
With a bat swing similar to Yuvraj Singh and the ability to muscle the spinners into orbit, Dube also has been in monstrous form for Chennaisuperkingsthisseason.heisstriking at 163.51 at an average of 60.50. Though there havebeenreservationsabouthisabilitytodeal with bumpers with high pace in the past, the way he dealt with Alzarri Joseph and Mohammedsirajintheopeninggameagainst
RCB was remarkable. However, he had breathing space against RCB because of a blistering startfromrachinravindra.hisactualaudition forthejobcameinagainstdelhicapitalswhen
117 runs in the back 10 were needed but he succumbed to the pressure, ending up with a 18-ball 17 on a decent batting wicket. Dube’s averageandstrikeratealsofalldrasticallywhen coming down the order.
Rinku Singh
Who could forget Rinku’s five sixes against Gujarattitanswhichhelped Kolkata Knight Riders win a game which was dead and buried? While there was a speculation that the knock from him might be a flash in the pan, the batter continued to surprise every time in such adverse situations in the 2023 season.
The remarkable aspect of Rinku’s finishing has been his composure during the final overs combined with his ability to clear boundaries against both spin and pace without breaking a sweat. He has this uncanny ability to find a pocket of space on either side of the wicket to getalow-riskboundaryandalsopossessesthe skill to access high-risk boundary options whenpushcomestoshove.hisperformances lastyearhadearnedhimanindiacall-upinthe format and he did meet the expectations. However, things have not gone according to plan for him in the ongoing season for KKR. Whilethebulkoftheworkisbeingdoneatthe top there hasn’t been much need for him and even if there has been a requirement the management has turned to Andre Russell who regained his devastating form.
Wicket-keepers/finishers
Similar to 2022 the Indian top order has heavy traffic with marquee players who cannot keep and this makes it inevitable that the wicketkeeper chosen needs to have finishing skills as well. ISHAN KISHAN: The left-hander is a pocket-size dynamo with the bat and is a handywicket-keeperintheformathowever,it would take a brave selector to put him in a finishingrolewhichhehardlyplayedforhisfranchise or country before.
SANJU SAMSON: The Rajasthan Royals skipper has been in and around the Indian team and has blown hot and cold when put in other positions than three. The majority of his success in the IPL has come from him batting at three and his record elsewhere has been mediocre.
RISHABH PANT: Hitting the ball in the least expected areas is a speciality of the Delhi Capitals skipper. The 36-year-old tends to bat either at four or five for the Capitals and would be one of the closest bets to play the role efficiently at the showpiece event.
JITESH SHARMA: The Punjab Kings keeperwasimpressivelastseasonwithhisfinishing ability and has been part of the Indian side in recent times. But his record has been poor for India and his IPL season so far too hasn’tbeengood.choppingandchanginghisbatting position did not help his cause either.