Despite the fact that Team India India lost the second T20I on Wednesday, but the Indian fans were delighted as they saw the innings of vintage MS Dhoni. He played innings of 28-ball 52 (3 sixes and 4 boundaries) and his silenced all his critics as he proved that why he is still considered an integral part of the set-up by captain Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri.

MS Dhoni’s assault explained

During the media interaction after the game, Manish Pandey summed up the MSD special knock perfectly when asked to speak about the last five overs when India plundered 64  to reach 188/4 on a wicket which wasn’t the most suited to batting. He said, “Mahi just woke up. I thought the South African cricket team bowled well. It is just that a couple of inside edges went to the boundary and some great shots by Mahi took us to 188, but South Africa bowled fairly well today.”

Also read: When Dhoni goes bang-bang

Manish said he was raring to play a match at the SuperSport Park as this is the very ground where he hit the first century of the IPL back in the second edition of the cash-rich league and became a household name. He said, “I was waiting to play here. Even in the one-dayers, I was trying to squeeze my chances in but that didn’t happen. Centurion has always been good to me, I still remember the 100 I got here (in IPL) nine-ten years ago.”

Talking about his fluctuating batting position, Manish said, “I bat at No. 5 most of the times. Sometimes I got chances at No. 4, I’ve delivered. Also, the batting combination sometimes pushes me down to No. 5. I have tried my bit but I also feel that I could also probably do a little bit more with myself.”

Pandey raring to go

He further added, “India has a really good line up and the top three bat till 30-35 overs, with Virat Kohli there, and with Mahi (MS Dhoni) coming ahead of me. But yeah, some more chances and I wish I could deliver more. And I feel I can deliver a lot more than what I am doing right now.”

Also read: Kohli Credited South African Batsmen For The Win

Although Pandey was with the Indian squad from the start of the ODIs, he had to wait until T20Is to get some match practice. While it did play on his mind, Manish is happy to wait for his opportunities. He said, “Honestly it’s a little tough and it works on your mind a lot. Especially on this tour, I have felt it a lot actually. But it’s okay, it’s part of the game and you have to wait for your chances, especially playing for a team like India when you have so many stars and legends after legends in the line-up.”

Pandey concluded by describing his knock along with MS Dhoni, he said, “I think you have to be very patient with your chances. From ball one, you have to go for it. That’s what I tried in the first game, I played a little slow, but it happens when you play after a long time. Today was a good day for me. It is (a thankless position), but I just want to squeeze my chances in there.”