Photo credit: Aaron Finch/ Instagram

Aaron Finch is not one to mince words. Notwithstanding his aggressive style of batting and intense concentration on the field, Finch is quite the character off the field and likes to speak his mind. This care-free attitude of the Aussie merc makes him a perfect fit in the Kings XI Punjab side, where he will undoubtedly get to express himself without too much worry.

Being the experienced campaigner that he is, Finch has played at almost every cricket venue there is. But the cricket fans from Mohali, which will now host KXIP’s season opener, and Indore take the cake when it comes to passion for the game according to Finchy.

“I am really looking forward to playing in Mohali and Indore,” Finch told kxip.in, “I have played there quite a bit, and the crowd has always been amazing. I am really looking forward to being on the right side of such a passionate crowd.”

The Mohali wicket has traditionally been a belter, where batsmen can score big and quickly once they get their eye in. It will favour the out-and-out aggressive style of Finch to the T. There is no better prospect than watching him get going and deposit the bowlers into the crowds.

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But while the fans will be licking their lips at the prospect of watching Aaron with the bat, his most precious memory on the Mohali wicket remains one in which he made a mark on the field.

“My favourite memory at Mohali is not associated with the Indian Premier League actually,” explained Finch. “But it came while playing India in an ODI.”

It was during the third One Day International, the Aussies were playing on their 2013 India tour. Rohit Sharma had stayed at the crease for a while and was looking set for a big one before Finchy picked up a skyer from Sharma off the bowling of Shane Watson. The Australians went on to win the game by 4 wickets with just 3 balls to spare and Sharma’s wicket could well have been the difference.

“I managed to get Rohit Sharma out in an ODI, which is hard to do in the best of times in India,” he said with delight. “And he is a great player, so it was nice to get him out.”