"Pune gave me a lifeline in IPL; ecstatic to play for Sunrisers Hyderabad" - Interview with No.1 T20 batsman Aaron Finch

Aaron Finch vs Pakistan at World T20 in Bangladesh.

In the shortest format of the game, few batsmen have performed as consistently as Aaron Finch has over the past few months. With his ability to adapt to the foreign conditions and armed with conventional batting craft, Finch has become one of the marquee names for the Aussie side in limited overs cricket, rising to the No.1 spot in T20I rankings for batsmen.

His stock as a top-order batsman has been on a rise since after hitting a 156 against England in Southampton last year – a T20I record for highest individual score – that has also landed him NatWest Twenty20 Blast contract with Yorkshire.

When it comes to IPL, Finch has been around for last 4 seasons, playing with 3 different franchises. After leading the Sahara Pune Warriors last year, the 27-year-old will start his new campaign with Sunrisers Hyderabad, who spent Rs. 4Cr for his services.

Recently, Sportskeeda caught up with the Victorian as he talked about his World T20 experience and the upcoming IPL season.

Coming back from one of the most disappointing World T20 performance with the Aussies after being named the favourites, what do you think didn’t work for the side in Bangladesh?

I agree it was a really disappointing tournament for Australia. When we went to Bangladesh, we definitely had a team with a potential to win the tournament and we were pretty confident about our chances. I suppose, whenever you do visit the sub-continent, the conditions can be really challenging. The likes of Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh can be really competitive in those conditions.

I think when we went there, we slightly underestimated the conditions. We expected the wicket to turn but not to be as slow as it was – especially in Dhaka, where we played all our matches. So, I think we planned alright for the tournament. However, Dave Warner, Shane and me – at the top of the order – didn’t particularly have a successful tournament as we were expected to. We failed to conjure a single partnership at the top of the order, which was disappointing as we were seen as a big asset to our team.

Probably, when it comes to utilizing the powerplays, we didn’t really make the most of our opportunities.

Do you look back at the tournament and think of the crucial moments where you failed to seize the initiative? Do you think of it as losing key battles instead of the overall contests that led to Australia’s elimination from the World T20?

Absolutely! I think in the past few years, you’ve seen when the game is on the line, we have done more than enough to perform in the crucial stages of the game – but it never clicked in this tournament for us.

During the first game against Pakistan, I thought we were in a great position as we looked to chase down their total. After a poor start, the way Glenn Maxwell played to get us back in the game was just magnificent. Probably, then it was my responsibility to close the game for us, but unfortunately I was not able to do that.

Again, in the West Indies game, I thought we bowled really well but just could not get the result going our way. And when you look at it, those crucial moments cost us our place in the semi-finals.

On a personal note, are you encouraged by your form ahead of IPL?

Of course, I think I didn’t play pretty bad. I think my performance against the West Indies was pretty disappointing when I could score only 16 and failed to provide a good start to the side and then against Indian, when I started pretty well but just could not build on the innings.

Although, to get the runs that I did, against Pakistan and Bangladesh, I think it was quite pleasing to get some runs on the board. Especially, against a great all-round bowling unit of Pakistan who have some world class spinners – and I think Saeed Ajmal is up there with the very best in the game.

To get some runs against the best spinners of the game always gives you a lot of confidence and it a massive boost ahead of the IPL.

“[Losing] those crucial moments cost us our place in the semifinals”

About the spinners and the challenge it is to face them in the smallest format of the game, do you think they have evolved significantly over the past few years, when it comes to the line and the amount of flight they give to their deliveries? Do you think spinners have found a way to defend themselves by choosing to block runs and not necessarily going after wickets?

Definitely! The way spinners have adapted to the game in the past few years is just unbelievable. When T20 was introduced, few people gave spin bowling a chance to survive in this format. They weren’t exactly expected to contain runs and take wickets when compared to the pace bowlers. However, I think over the years, they have been the ones who have evolved the most.

Now, when you look at the team sheets of the winners of any tournament, they are winning it on the back of quality spinners in their side. I think the death bowling has just been overtaken by the sheer quality of spin around the world. Now, we see the likes of Ajmal, Narine, Ashwin, Jadeja bowling at the end of the innings when 5-6 years ago, no one would have give a chance of that ever happening on the international stage.

Although personally, I feel the best way for the spinners to defend themselves is by taking wickets. And we’ve seen that throughout the tournament. Even when Sri Lanka were defending a small total against New Zealand, Herath was just outstanding and so was Senanayake. Again in our game against Pakistan, I think Ajmal bowled some crucial overs to get his side back in the game. Same goes for Ashwin, during poweplay overs against Australia, he was just absolutely brilliant. So, it has been pretty evident that the skills they possess do add a great value to any side in T20 cricket.

Spinners in T20 will always be an attacking option and that is why teams with great spinners will always be successful in this format of the game.

Talking about the new IPL season and the auctions that took place in February, what was your first reaction to the news that you’ve been picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad this season?

I was playing a Sheffield Shield game for Victoria in Sydney when David Hussey ran out a message that said I was picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the auction – and I was ecstatic! To go to a team that has certainly reborn after what happened to Deccan Chargers. Having spoken to the players who have been with the franchise, I was told that it is a great opportunity to team up with the fantastic unit. I think the administration has looked after everything, right from the time I was picked up in the auctions to the build-up of this new season.

When you look at the players already in the squad – Dale Steyn, Shikhar Dhawan, Amit Mishra and the coach Tom Moody – it is definitely going to be really exciting to be a part of such a great side. I think even Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar] joining the side with me from Pune last season is amazing; he’s just a fantastic bowler – so overall, I’m pretty happy to be here with this Hyderabad side.

Would you have preferred to have gone to one of your former teams – Rajasthan Royals or Delhi Daredevils – who were also involved in the bidding battle?

To be honest, it never really bothered me to be playing for a new side. My first year at Rajasthan, with Shane Warne as a coach was just unbelievable – and I would not change that for anything. My two years at Delhi were great fun. Getting to train and hang out with KP, Sehwag and Mahela – these guys make you a better player by just being around them and learning from them over the course of the tournament.

Then Pune was a unique opportunity to captain an IPL side which was something I never dreamed about as I never thought it was even possible. At the end of the day, IPL for me is a platform with such great competition and I’m just happy to be a part of it again this season.

You enjoyed a pretty solid 2013 IPL season with Pune Warriors. How do you feel about them not being able to participate in the tournament any more?

To be fair, it is really disappointing for Pune. I can’t really comment on what happened behind the scenes, but like I said before, my time at Pune was really fun. I learnt a lot about the game and leading a T20 side, that I never really expected, considering I wasn’t even picked up in the auction in the season before. So Pune, in a way, gave me a new lifeline when it comes to my IPL stint.

Aaron Finch of Australia pictured with the ‘Man of the Match’ award during the ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014 match between Bangladesh and Australia at Sher-e-Bangla Mirpur Stadium

In the past couple of years, you’ve answered your critics who doubted your T20 credentials incredibly well with some quality performances in the format. Has your approach to the shortest format of the game changed in any sense to bring an attacking edge to your batting style?

Of course, as an opener you need to make a slight change to your approach as you need to take those risks to give that acceleration to the innings in the powerplays. You need to pick the right bowlers from the opposition to attack, and to pace the innings in order to stay in control of the game for as long as possible.

If we were to discuss your last couple of years and your best of T20 innings, then one has to talk about that 156 vs England at Southampton. Where do you rank that innings among the highlight moments of your cricketing career?

Well, surprisingly enough, I don’t really have a lasting memory from that particular game. It was obviously great to win against England, and to win with a convincing margin. However, on a personal note, all I remember is that everything I tried really came off on the day. It was just one of those days when things just happened for me.

Do you think, the old-school batting craft is underrated in the T20 version of the game?

I think it still holds its importance even in the shortest format of the game. When you look down at the best T20 batsmen over the years, it is pretty evident that they have been doing well in almost all formats of the game – be it ODIs or even Test cricket for that matter. For example, Virat Kohli in the last couple of years has been scoring runs in all the formats of the game and his approach is pretty conventional. But then you have the likes of Glenn Maxwell and AB who have a great range of shots and have been really successful in recent times.

So, in a way, there is enough room for both batting styles to co-exist in this game.

So are there a couple of shots that Aaron Finch is working on ahead of the IPL?

Yes, I am. As a cricketer, you’re always looking to add more strokes to your game and T20 is a format that brings those elements to the game. And yes, I have been working on a couple of shots in the nets. Probably, you will see them in this IPL season.

You have been a seasoned IPL campaigner now, with four seasons under your belt. How has the IPL helped you in growing as a cricketer over the past few years?

It has definitely played a huge part in my career. I always believed that playing with the best players in the world makes you work harder on your game. The standard of the game is really high in the IPL and playing against the best in the world also helps when you face them later with your national side.

Does playing in the sub-continent change your preparations to a certain extent? How do you tackle some of the world-class spinners that end up being a challenge most of the overseas players in the IPL?

I think the gameplan depends on the guys in the opposition that you’re comfortable facing and are ready to attack. So more than the preparations, for me it is about what the team requires at that particular moment in the game.

Was it really comforting to know that you could play for Hyderabad with your Aussie teammate David Warner? How important has it been for you to have him around in the Aussie side and now in the IPL?

I think it is a really exciting prospect to play with him in the IPL. He’s been carrying some great form, for the last 12 months or so and he’s definitely a great asset for the side. I think whoever opens the batting for the team – whether it is Dave, Shikhar or me – we can expect some entertaining cricket from the top order.

I have known Dave Warner for about 12 years now, and we’ve played against each other in underage cricket and have come along a long way together in the national side. So, it is always a pleasure to have him around in the side.

Last year, Sunrisers were criticized for the lack of depth in the batting department. Do you think the franchise has done enough strengthening to make the team competitive enough for this season?

Yeah, I think that’s the plan. But then in cricket, not much goes to plan very often, but I’m sure the franchise have done all their homework to pick the best side possible. I think the beauty of the IPL is that if one of them is not doing the job for the team there is always a player in the dugout to take your spot.

I believe we have a very talented bunch of players who have been successful in the past or have been in great form over the past few months – and that’s what you can ask for ahead of any tournament.

On current form, you’d be expected to better your previous IPL stints. What are your personal expectations from the tournament?

Look, I set pretty high standards for myself and it’s not going to be any different this time around. I have never played in the UAE before, so that will be a great challenge. Overall, it has always been a platform that I have been keen to perform consistently and I’m really looking forward to it.