3 reasons why Manish Pandey is the ideal finisher for India

Perhaps India's biggest concern in playing XI in ODIs is the No.4 position, but still another major area of concern comes in the name of who will don the role of the finisher. With Mahendra Singh Dhoni showing signs that he may not as good as he once was as he enters the twilight of his career, India needs to find a new finisher in his place.

Even though they tried quite a few players like Suresh Raina, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, and Manish Pandey, they haven't stuck with one player for a prolonged period of time.

With the World Cup less than a year away, India should stick with a player at each position to ensure that they have a settled line-up as they look for their third World Cup title. The fact that Manish Pandey has been given another opportunity after a disappointing outing in 2017 is a sign that they are willing to show some faith as they look to have a settled side ahead of next year's World Cup in England.

Here is a look at three reasons why India should stick with Manish Pandey as the finisher.

Recent Performances

Manish Pandey was the stand out performer in the recently concluded Quadrangular A-team Series, where he led India B to victory and was impressive with the bat as well.

He was the leading run scorer of the tournament with 306 runs in 4 matches (1 century and 2 half centuries) with the strike rate of 100.99 and all of that without being dismissed even once. He showed a lot of responsibility throughout the tournament which got him the place in the Asia Cup squad, where he will be eager to continue his good form.

Allows MS Dhoni to bat at No.4

If India is able to find a capable finisher, Dhoni can move up the order

India is on the verge of solving the No.4 problem. MS Dhoni is the best option for the position right now. India wasn't able to play him at No.4 just because of lack of stability in the middle-order and the lower middle order.

With Kedar Jadhav at No.5 and Pandey at No.6, it allows Dhoni the freedom to play his game while coming in at No.4. Even though Pandey is not necessarily a designated big hitter like Dhoni, he is also an unorthodox player like the former Indian captain and can certainly access plenty of different areas.

He has a lot of unorthodox shots in his bag of tricks, which will become especially critical during the death overs.

Ideal skills for the role of the finisher

Pandey has already shown that he can essay the role of a finisher for India in ODIs

As a finisher, it is always important to understand the situation at hand and not throw away your wicket. There is a need to see the side home to the finish line where it is in the first innings or during a chase.

One look at Pandey's performances in 2018 certainly indicates that he has that quality. In the 9 T20Is innings that he featured in 2018, he scored at an average of 92 and strike rate of 127 and was only dismissed thrice. In the Quadrangular A-team Series, he was never eve dismissed once which clearly indicates that he puts a lot of value on his wicket. Although he is an unorthodox player, he is a good player of spin and he can go for big shots and clear the boundaries at will, which will prove to be crucial in the death overs.