Aaron Finch is one of the simpler cricketers. Off the field he enjoys spending time with his soon-to-be wife Amy Griffiths, playing golf and generally relaxing at cafes, while on the field he sees the ball and hits it out of the park.

There is not that much complication when it comes to hit style and technique. It is mainly pure talent. As he gets ready to begin a new innings with Kings XI Punjab this VIVO Indian Premier League season, Finchy’s excitement is through the roof.

“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.

“Playing with some talented teammates with (Ravichandran) Ashwin as the captain is something I am excited about. I also have some Aussie friends – (Marcus) Stoinis, (Andrew) Tye and (Ben) Dwarshius – also playing there and with (Brad) Hodge as the coach, it is all the more exciting.”

But while being among the most sought-after mercenaries in the game has its advantages, there are quite a few trade-offs as well, not the least of which is being away from home and family for long durations of time. It is all part of living your dream, though, as Finch explained.

“For me personally, I play the Australian domestic season, play for Australia, and the IPL and other such leagues. So, normally it’s a task to find time at home, but it’s not a task to find time for life as a 30-year-old. There are times when you want to be home because you are away for a long time, but if you do something you love you have to sacrifice a bit. And playing cricket is something I love,” Finchy said.

High risk and high rewards

Cricket may be Aaron’s first love, but it has always been a ruthless game, especially if you are as big an entertainer as Finch. He has built himself quite a reputation as a big striker of the cricket ball over the years with a lot of hard work. However, T20 is an unforgiving format where one mistimed shot could be the difference between a big score and a duck. The competition is intense and every day is a new fight. But the experienced Aaron knows his strengths and knows it importance of keeping your head down and playing to the best of your abilities.

“I think you have to be realistic with the game. T20 cricket has a much higher risk factor, so one has to understand that you will miss out on some days, while on some days, you will perform really well. You have to take it all in your stride. You have to make sure you are winning the game for your team or your franchise.

“But you can either be a high-risk and high reward kind of player and win games single-handedly if you score, or you could be a low-risk player. It’s about balancing what fits you as a player and what fits the team at the time. If you want to be a high-risk player, that’s great, but you will have to sacrifice your numbers every now and then,” explained the big hitter.

Finch has gone on to prove time and time again that he plays for the victory and not for the numbers which makes him a true entertainer and a player who fans love watching. After all the hard work and sacrifices he had to put in, The Merc from Down South is not just living his dream now, he is hitting it well and truly out of the park.