After the long awaiting, Indian batsman Manish Pandey is now getting some regular chances in the national squad through his recent important middle-order batting performances. While his confidence is building up through the consistently good performances, he believes that he can bat at any position.
Recently, talking with TOI, Manish Pandey said about his current batting form, “I’m getting better and I’m taking one game at a time. The last couple of tournaments have been good for me. Whenever I’ve got a chance I’ve tried to stay at the wicket for a longer period of time. I believe one of my strengths is to play the anchor role in the middle, especially since I’ve been batting at number five. That has been working for me.”
From the T20I series on the South Africa tour, Manish Pandey provided some great batting performances for his national team. In the recently concluded Nidahas Trophy T20I tri-series in Sri Lanka, where India participated with the host Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, India won the crown after beating Bangladesh in the thrilling last-ball final.
Talking about the biggest takeaway from the recent Nidahas Trophy victory, Pandey quoted, “The biggest takeaway for me is to have been part of a champion team. Also, individually there were a couple of games where I had to change my gear and play a little more aggressively and I think I did that well. In a couple of other matches, it was important for me to stay at the crease for long and build a partnership and take the game through. That too was a job well done.”
Also read: Team India’s Report Card For the Nidahas Trophy 2018
Despite Manish Pandey was selected for the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, where India finished as a runner-up, he ruled out ahead of the tournament due to the side strain. Speaking of that period, “Sitting out of Champions Trophy due to an injury was hard on me. But I had no option. I didn’t make it to the West Indies series after that as well since I wasn’t fully fit. The India ‘A’ tour was a good tournament. We won the series and I was the highest run-getter. It was a confidence booster to know that I am back in form after an injury lay-off.”
Before playing the three-match T20I series on the South Africa tour, India had also played six-match ODI series on that tour. Pandey was in the ODI squad too but didn’t get a single chance. He spoke out on that, “It is tough because you know when you are batting well. Also when you are waiting for your chance you don’t know which game you’ll get a chance. But given the competition in the team there was nothing I could do. So, I focused on doing things which were in my control – like training, working on my fitness. It is mentally disturbing but that is part of team sport. That said, sitting out is not something I like.”
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The 28-years old right-handed batsman also claimed that he can bat at any position. He said, “When you bat at No. 4 in ODIs, on many occasions you get about 30-35 overs in the middle. At No.5 it is around 20-25 and if you come lower down, the time in the middle is very less. It is a challenge to adjust and move in that fashion. That said, I will bat at whatever position the team requires me to. I just go out there and do what I’m expected to.”
Talking about his batting consistency, Pandey quoted, “I’ve worked hard on my consistency because the only way I’ll get runs is by staying at the wicket and I’ve started doing that. I’ve been talking to Indian coaches Sanjay (Bangar) and Ravi Shastri. I’ve changed a little in terms of getting into position and understanding the situation better.”
In the addition, he also spoke out on his batting aggression where he said, “It is the mindset that I go in to bat (with). It doesn’t change with the match situation or the bowler. Something is working and I don’t want to change that. I like to be this kind of batsman irrespective of the format.”
Manish Pandey was the first Indian batsman to score an IPL century (in 2009). Making the IPL debut in 2008 for Mumbai Indians, he has played for Royal Challengers Bangalore (2009-2010), Pune Warriors India (2011-2013) and Kolkata Knight Riders (2014-2017).
In the 2018 IPL Auction, 2016 IPL winners Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) bought him for INR 11 crore.
Talking about his new IPL team, Pandey commented, “It was an inevitable change. I am looking forward to playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad because it is a good team with good people. I think it will be nice to learn something new from a different franchise. I’m looking forward to working with (VVS) Laxman bhai. He has been helping a lot of players, so I see this as a good opportunity to go and learn from him.”
