Most important part in cricket is art of finishing, just like finishing touch in a dish prepared in a restaurant: Hardik Pandya

The Indian team is going from strength to strength in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 and Hardik Pandya has been one of their most consistent performers. He didn't have a memorable Indian Premier League (IPL) season heading into the ICC event but has returned to form at the right time for the Men in Blue.

Hardik suffered the wrath of Rohit Sharma fans after he replaced the Indian captain as the skipper of Mumbai Indians ahead of IPL 2024. During the tournament, he was booed by fans almost wherever he travelled. To make matters worse, his dismal performances as an all-rounder as well as the captain let MI down as they finished at the bottom of the points table.

There were concerns over Hardik's place in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup. However, the Indian selectors showed faith in the Baroda cricketer and named him Rohit's deputy for the marquee event. Now, the 30-year-old is repaying the faith by making some crucial contributions with both bat and ball.

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The vice-captain scored a match-winning half-century in an important game against Bangladesh and would look to continue his purple patch against Australia on Monday, June 24, in another high-voltage encounter. In a video uploaded by Star Sports, the Choryasi-born spoke about the importance of finishing, comparing it with the presentation of a dish in a restaurant.

“The most important part is the art of finishing. Because if you go to a fancy restaurant, and they present you something, you know, the taste might be amazing, but if they don't add the finishing touch, it does not add the charm to the dish, no matter how good it is, because the look of it matters a lot, right? I think finishing game is the similar thing,” Hardik said in the video.

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"No matter how close you've come, how well you've poised the game and how strong you are in, if you don't get the finishing kick or finishing touch from your low orders or your finishers, dish does not look complete. So, I look it that way that both things can't go without... There are so many times, if the dish is not well-prepared as well but if the finishing touch is nice [it makes up for it], it happens the same in cricket as well,” he added.

Hardik has batted thrice in the five games in the 2024 T20 World Cup and scored 89 runs at an average of 44.50 and a strike rate of 141.27. With the ball, he has taken eight wickets at an impressive average of 13.75 and an economy rate of 6.47.