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Hardik Pandya: I like to finish the game early

By Mumbai Indians

Hardik Pandya displayed his versatility with the bat in the ODI series where he ended up as the highest run-scorer for India.

Now he has replicated the same in the shortest format which has always been his forte. Standing tall in the end, he helped India cross the finish line with two maximums in the last over.

It didn't come much of a surprise to many as he displayed his authority at the lower order playing for Mumbai Indians. He scored 281 runs at a strike rate of 178.98 in the recently concluded IPL.

At the press conference, Hardik shared his experience of his mindset during pressure situations and how he goes about playing his shots.

My game is always around the confidence I carry

“I like to see the scorecard and play. It lets you know the kind of shots and options you have. I have been in these situations many times and I learned from my mistakes in the past. My game is always around the confidence which I carry, it has that fine line where I back myself and not become overconfident,”

“I always remember all those times when we chased big totals and it helps. In T20s you have more time than you think. If we need 70-80 odd in 30 balls, I don’t look at the whole thing and I break it down to 12 balls and focus more on the process than the result. They were batting well and we wanted to be positive.”

I like to finish the game early

“I felt we were two good hits away. More than the six I wanted to finish the game. I don’t like the game going till the last ball, I like to finish the game early. I was just going to whack the ball anyway. I broke the bat with which I was playing for three years. This one looks alright.”

I am in a pretty good zone

"I felt that throughout the IPL I was batting well. It's just that when I feel it is my time to do it and the team wins, that's the happiest feeling. I'm not getting too overwhelmed with the situation. I am trying to keep it neutral. It's my job which I just did well."

"It's just that my performance is now getting highlighted because we're always top-heavy. We've always seen India winning games when the top three score runs and I think this is for the first time we've got the opportunity where we have had to step it up and do it. And I think I am in a pretty good zone."