Former Australian cricketer Tom Moody believes Tim David can excel in the role of a finisher for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2023).
Moody feels David has the ability to fill Kieron Pollard’s shoes down the line for the Mumbai-based side. He reckoned that the swashbuckling batter will get better as he plays more matches.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Tom Moody explained:
“Kieron Pollard was one of the game’s greats and one of the great finishers. I think Tim David will potentially reach those heights, but he is in the infant stages of that particular role. He has got all the ingredients that Pollard has got. He just needs to learn and understand the game a little bit more. He will only get that with playing opportunities.”
Notably, Tim David has amassed 113 runs from seven games in IPL 2023 at a strike rate of 143.04.
He was dismissed for a two-ball duck during Mumbai’s clash against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, April 25.
“Felt like he pulled the trigger a bit early” – Shaun Tait on Tim David’s dismissal vs GT
During the aforementioned discussion, former Australian speedster Shaun Tait stated that Tim David cannot just rely on his power-hitting and will have to make certain changes to his game.
He pointed out how the right-handed batter perished while trying to hit a big shot on the second ball that he faced against Gujarat. Tait opined that David should consider taking a few singles early in his innings before trying to up the ante.
Tait elaborated:
“He is the sort of player that if there are some runs on the board and he comes in a comfortable time, he is extremely dangerous. It is critical, but maybe the next step in his game is maybe getting a few ones first down the ground, getting yourself an over, and then you can launch. I felt like he pulled the trigger a bit early tonight.”
Mumbai suffered a 55-run loss against Gujarat. Rohit Sharma and Co. have three wins and four defeats to their name at the halfway mark and are placed seventh in the points table.