Harbhajan Singh, veteran Indian off-spinner was impressed by Hardik Pandya’s transformation as a finisher. He felt the Indian all-rounder had done his job as a finisher superbly in Australian tour especially in 2nd T20I by scoring an unbeaten 42 off 22 balls as India won by six wickets.
The off-spinner feels Hardik Pandya is as good as big-hitter West Indian Andre Russell and is even better than him on his day as he can also hit big sixes at will like the West Indian all-rounder.
Harbhajan Singh: Hardik Pandya Has Been Playing Consistently As Finisher Like Andre Russell And Maybe Better Than Him
Hardik Pandya, who is playing as a specialist batsman nowadays not to risk aggravating his lower back pain bowled 4 overs in 2nd ODI against Australia when Indian bowlers were taken to the cleaners. He emerged India’s highest run-getter in ODI accumulating 210 runs and now has 58 runs in 2 T20I games being India’s second-highest run-scorer in T20Is after KL Rahul so far.
“Yes, most definitely. He always had the talent. We knew he could hit big sixes. But now he has been playing consistently, he has got the idea of staying there and finishing the game,” Harbhajan Singh told India Today.
“Confidence is building every day. He is someone who is a proper finisher for Team India. He is as good as Russell, maybe better than, I would say. He is hitting sixes at will.”
“At the same time, he has got the technique as well. He is someone who can take singles as well. He is not someone who just likes to hit sixes. He is a very, very mature batsman, he has got a good technique. It’s good to see him taking up the responsibility and finishing off the game like he did today,” Harbhajan Singh added.
Hardik Pandya entertained the crowd with a terrific finishing performance by scoring an unbeaten 42 off just 22 balls, hitting 2 massive sixes and 3 boundaries at a strike rate of 190.91 to help India clinch series and complete a successful run chase to maintain their unbeaten record in T20Is at Sydney. India have won more matches than Australia in meeting between the two sides in T20Is.
Harbhajan Singh: Hardik Pandya Always Had Talent And Technique
Harbhajan Singh mentioned that Hardik Pandya always had the talent to excel and technique to perform and has matured with more experience as a finisher.
“As I mentioned, he always had the talent, he has a very good technique. When he is facing the fast bowlers, he has so much time, when he is facing the spinners, he can play the big shots and at the same time, take singles.”
“He is a very attacking player but very sensible. He knows which bowler to choose to go after. It’s good to see him showing that maturity. His batting is as good as any batsman. If he can bowl a couple of overs, it will be the icing on the cake,” Harbhajan Singh further said.
Hardik Pandya is an attacking batsman but can play sensibly choosing bowlers of opposition to attack. Hardik Pandya, who is an all-rounder, is a member of Mumbai Indians team which defended IPL trophy in 2020. The 27-year-old right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pacer debuted in 2016 in limited-overs and played 11 Tests, 57 ODIs and 42 T20Is.