How MS Dhoni’s tips have made Hardik Pandya a better finisher for Team India
Hardik Pandya made a great start in his first outing in England as he slammed an unbeaten 80 off 54 balls to help India beat Bangladesh in the ICC Champions Trophy warm-up clash at The Oval.
Pandya’s knock continued his great run for the Indian team lower down the order. Speaking after the end of the warm-up game against Bangladesh, Pandya has credited MS Dhoni’s advice for tackling pressure in the death overs and he highlighted an advice that was given to him in the previous ODI series against England at home in January 2017 by the former India captain.
“I remember one incident when I asked him how to finish the games. And he said that you need to make sure you look at the scoreboard. You need to make sure you see the situations and play accordingly. That way I have noticed that you don’t put pressure on yourself,” Pandya said.
The right-hander’s exploits at No.6, combined with Kedar Jadhav and Ravindra Jadeja also chipping in with some aggressive knocks in the warm-up game against Bangladesh, has given Virat Kohli plenty of firepower lower down the order as India head into the main tournament.
The India all-rounder was playing his first match away from home and he responded with an aggressive knock. Pandya said that one needed to be patient while building an ODI innings in England. “One cannot play aggressively right from the start. One must take time and build the innings. It is not easy to come and play shots immediately in these conditions,” Pandya added.
India’s first match in the ICC Champions Trophy will be on June 4 against Pakistan in Edgbaston, Birmigham. This will be Kohli’s first major ICC assignment as skipper of the Indian team.
