Going into the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia Dinesh Karthik was assigned the finisher 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 names that pop out immediately, their IPL franchises are playing in the middle order or top order which does not expose them to high-intensity music during the final over the innings.
Assuming India would not want to go back to Karthik at this stage of his career The Indian Express looks at the other possible contenders.
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Hardik Pandya
During his first stint with the Mumbai Indians, Hardik Pandya batted in the late-middle order and turned into a brutal player in the final overs of the innings. Even for India, he became reliable in the role at the time. Coming into bat with 75 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.
The all-rounder was at the peak of his powers as a finisher in that phase of his career and could effortlessly clear the boundary at will. “He has a great swing of the bat, a great bat flow with its rhythm and timing of those movements. He also has very good wrists. When you make the point of contact you need to be stable and hit against the strong frontside,” power-hitting 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 opportunities where he had to finish in high-pressure chases so far in the season against Gujarat Titans, Sunirisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings Hardik failed. He also seems to struggle to clear the ball from word go.
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| Team | Runs required | Contributions made |
| Against GT | 27 required from 12 balls | 11 from four balls |
| Against SRH | 96 needed from 35 balls | 24 from 20 balls |
| Against CSK | 77 needed from 37 balls | 2 from six balls |
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 Chennai Super Kings this season. He is striking at 163.51 at an average of 60.50. Though there have been reservations about his ability to deal with bumpers with high pace in the past, the way he dealt with Alzarri Joseph and Mohammed Siraj in the opening game against RCB was remarkable.
However, he had breathing space against RCB because of a blistering start from Rachin Ravindra. His actual audition for the job came in against Delhi Capitals when 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 average and strike rate also fall drastically when coming down the order.
| Batting position | Innings | Runs@average | Strike rate |
| Number 6 | 8 | 133@19 | 127.88 |
| Number 7 | 4 | 42@14 | 110.53 |
Rinku Singh
Who could forget Rinku’s five sixes against Gujarat Titans which helped 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.
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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 get a low-risk boundary and also possesses the skill to access high-risk boundary options when push comes to shove.
His performances last year had earned him an India call-up in the format and he did meet the expectations. However, things have not gone according to plan for him in the ongoing season for KKR. While the bulk of the work is being done at the 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 handy wicket-keeper in the format however, it would take a brave selector to put him in a finishing role which he hardly played for his franchise or country before.
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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.
Record for RR batting other than three and opening
| 47 innings | 825@18.27 | 165.176 |
Rishabh Pant: Hitting the ball in the least expected areas is a speciality of the Delhi Capitals skipper. The 26-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 keeper was impressive last season with his finishing 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’t been good. Chopping and changing his batting position did not help his cause either.
