One of the consistent performers in IPL, Manish Pandey has failed to do much in T20 Internationals. He played 39 T20Is for India and was among the only exits from the Indian side alongside T Natarajan after the 2020 Australia tour. Meanwhile, Pandey saw his prospects taking a hit as the selectors started focusing on Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, and Shreyas Iyer who would go on to take his place in the middle order.
As of now, the slots are limited and talents like Samson and Shreyas Iyer are still not among the guaranteed starters. On the other hand, Manish Pandey was limited to playing IPL. In 2022, he was seen plying his trade for Lucknow Super Giants, but the season saw him scoring just 110 runs in 6 matches. No surprise, he was released by the franchise.
Talking about the same, during a recent chat with Sportskeeda, Manish Pandey said, “I have been through that situation even with the Indian team. Because there were a lot of times when I have not played a lot of games and I was sitting out. You actually feel a little sad about it, but it is all in the spirit of the game where the team requires something and then you have to abide by that.”
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He further added, “So I have been in these kinds of situations before and I think I should not be letting all these things affect me which will eventually affect my game. So I just want to be in the present. If I get an opportunity, I want to play and score well and see how it goes from there.”
Manish Pandey when asked if any IPL team has contacted him before the upcoming auction 🏏
📸: Majaraja T20 #IPL #crickettwitter #india pic.twitter.com/ZmsodTOjmQ
— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) November 23, 2022
When asked about the new Indian middle order which has the likes of SKY, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey said that he is sad not being able to make the cut. Here it must be mentioned that the 32-year-old’s scores in the recent domestic season were ineffective for him to stand a chance. Although, he said he hasn’t given up hope.
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Manish Pandey explained, “See obviously, individually I would feel a little sad about it. But I am sure, whatever calls the Indian team was taking or whoever was playing a certain number of games, I was happy for them. Sanju was batting well, so I thought he should have now gotten games and he did. So no hard feelings there. But on a personal front, I would obviously want to play a lot more games and prove myself at the highest level.”
