Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has applauded Hardik Pandya for his all-round performances in the 2025 Champions Trophy. He added that the seam-bowling all-rounder could be the best finisher in the world right now. However, New Zealand set India a 252-run target in the 2025 Champions Trophy final in Dubai on Sunday, March 9 as well. Hardik scored a run-a-ball 18 in the chase and added 38 runs for the sixth wicket with KL Rahul (34* off 33) to help India win.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra’, he said, “Hardik needs to be spoken about. I have said it enough times and more that he is our clutch player. Whenever it seems like we are crumbling, he has nerves of steel. I have got no idea how he does it. When you observe from outside that it’s a difficult pitch and taking singles is difficult, and it won’t be easy to hit a six, he hits straight into the stands while standing in his position,” he said.
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“He has got some incredible skills. I think he could be the best finisher in the world right now. Who brings the balance in bowling? Who allows you to play four spinners? That’s only Hardik Pandya. We missed Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya in the 2023 ODI World Cup final. We would have won the trophy if they had been there,” Chopra again added.
Meanwhile, Aakash Chopra also applauded Axar Patel for picking up crucial wickets in the 2025 Champions Trophy as well.
“You became the champions, and the role Axar Patel has had in that. He takes big wickets. He doesn’t dismiss the small players. He dismissed Glenn Maxwell, Kane Williamson and Muhammad Rizwan. He bowls with the new ball in the powerplay, and then multiple spells in the middle,” he said.
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“After that, a very important job he does is batting at No. 5. You need a left-right combination, but everything doesn’t happen just by wishing. The success depends on whether the guy you are sending at No. 5 is fulfilling that role properly. He does that. Whenever the pressure is mounting, he goes to his partner and says he would hit. He also ensures that wickets don’t fall one after the other,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
