Karnataka captain Manish Pandey has recently opined on the side’s preparations for their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal tie against Uttar Pradesh. However, they are playing the game at the KSCA Cricket Ground in Alur from June 6 onwards.

While claiming that Karnataka’s failure to seal a place in the knockouts concerns him, Manish Pandey added in an interview with ESPNcricinfo, “Whenever Karnataka doesn’t qualify for the knockouts or win, which we haven’t done for a while, that bothers me as a player. One thing is clear to all: no one is indispensable. This cap never came free to anyone. We have all worked hard for it. That hard work and [hunger] keep me going even today. I will play my 95th game with the same intensity as my first.”

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On the other hand, the current squad is a blend of youth and experience. He also added that the latest players are the fittest ones he has ever seen as well. Players like Devdutt Padikkal and Mayank Agarwal are likely to do well despite their poor IPL campaign.

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“I don’t want to be someone who lets down the team. That is something that motivates me and keeps me going. At Karnataka, we work equally on our fitness as our skills. The bunch of new guys we’ve got are among the fittest.” While talking about his fielding time while training, the Karnataka skipper Manish Pandey said, “I can’t bowl 140kph. So, I’d rather give myself time and effort to something I can do for the team collectively. Fielding is a crucial part of cricket, and I really enjoy doing it. I put in the same amount of hours [into fielding] as my batting.”