Pandey willing to wait after Rahul edges him out in race to No 4 berth
DAMBULLA: India’ s packed top- order and middle have made it next to impossible for a batsman to get in, and Manish Pandey is willing wait for his turn after another frustrating phase in his career. Pandey is part of India’s 15-man squad for the five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka starting on Sunday, but is unlikely to get an early chance.
The first Indian to score a century in the Indian Premier League --- in 2009 --- Pandey joined the India side after leading India A to the Tri-series victory in South Africa.
Pandey is also among the best fielders in the current India set-up, but is unlikely to get a look in as his regular No 4 spot will be given to his prolific Karnataka team mate, KL Rahul. Since his 2015 India debut, Pandey has played only 12 ODIs and eight Twenty20 Internationals.
Pandey’s dreams of playing in the Champions Trophy, where India lost to Pakistan in the final in June, were dashed after he suffered a side tear during a practice game during the IPL.
So, how frustrated is he playing the waiting game? “Honestly, I have waited for a long time, but I am used to it now. IPL was going good for me, 10 games and about 400 runs and then I missed two crucial games (knockouts). That is part of the game, but I have played the waiting game really well,” Pandey said in a media chat on Friday.
“It really hurts. Sometimes when you are not in form it does not hurt as much as it does when you are really in form,” Pandey said about the IPL injury.
Pan dey acknowledged he had lost his No 4 spot to Rahul. “That is where I bat. But if the team thinks somebody who has been batting really well, and KL has been batting really well, and they want to go with that, I would love to see that happen.”