IPL 2020: Finishers Like Him Are Rare - Tom Moody Heaps High Praise On Hardik Pandya

Former Australia cricketer, Tom Moody is highly impressed by the finishing ability of Hardik Pandya after the latter’s magnificent display of six-hitting against Delhi Capitals. In Qualifier 1, Hardik Pandya came to bat at the score of 140/5 and catapulted the total to 200 with a 14-ball 37. The right-hander smashed five towering sixes.

The explosive batter Hardik has been in sensational form with the bat in IPL 2020. He has scored 278 runs at a strike rate of 182 – which is only the next best to teammate Kieron Pollard’s 190.

You’d pick him every day of the week: Tom Moody

Tom Moody said that finishers like Hardik is a rare commodity and would be picked in every game with the form he is in. The 2016 IPL winning coach heaped high praise after Hardik’s cameo against Delhi as MI scored 200 despite what looked like should have been 170-175. The Australian talked about the impact Pandya had on the outcome of the game in just 14 balls.

 Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Tom Moody said, “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.” 

Along with Moody, Gautam Gambhir also talked highly of the Mumbai batting. The left-hander said Mumbai pushed Delhi out of the game with the partnership between Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan. Gambhir pointed out that Hardik smashed even Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje.

Gautam Gambhir said, “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 Delhi 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.”

Mumbai is into its second consecutive final and will face the winner of Qualifier 2 between Delhi and Hyderabad. The final is scheduled to take place in Dubai on Tuesday.

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