Aaron Finch credits IPL for learning from 'all-time greats' Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers

Powerful Australian batsman Aaron Finch has hailed the IPL for providing a platform to international cricketers as they learn from one other. Speaking to Cricbuzz, the 29-year old exuded happiness on discussing the intricacies of the game with the likes of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.

Finch enthused, “That's the great thing about IPL. You get to train with the best all the time, play with them and talk cricket with them. Even if you are not playing, after a game you go the bar and have a beer with the opposition. There are lessons.”

He added, “In Royal Challengers Bangalore, we have two of the all-time greats Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. So to just sit down and have a chat with them about cricket, it's amazing. That's what the IPL has done for players like myself.”

Playing for Gujarat Lions, Finch scored 393 runs from 13 matches at a strike-rate of 131.43 with five half-centuries from the 2016 IPL season. One of the notable aspects about his performance was a more confident approach when confronted with spin bowling.

The right-hander revealed, “We get to talk about and play spin more. And there are some outstanding spinners. Young guys coming through, even the old guys like Pravin Tambe are very good. It was just about playing more in the nets. Talking to players about tactics and about how can I score against certain type of bowlers. Ravindra Jadeja and these guys helping me out with my game, it is just great.”

On his partnership with fellow Australian David Warner, Finch felt that the instinctive understanding between them was crucial. He was also effusive in his praise for the aggressive left-hander’s success across all the three formats.

Finch believed, “Davy Warner is one of the best two-or-three batters in the world. His record is outstanding, he gets runs in big games when a Test match is on the line. I think that's one way he probably has single-handedly helped other T20 players understand that if he can do it, they can too. Obviously, he is an unbelievable player. But if he can do it, there is no doubt that players can come through the T20 and ODI ranks to do well in Tests.”