Pandey willing to wait after Rahul edges him out in race

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.

A stalwart at domestic level, the 27-year-old, the first Indian to score a century in the Indian Premier League --- in 2009 --- has joined the India side after leading India A to the Tri-series victory in South Africa. He capped his scores of 55, 41 not out and 86 not out with an unbeaten 93 in the final to upstage hosts South Africa A in the final.

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 ICC Champions Trophy, where India lost to Pakistan in the final in June, were dashed after the in-form batsman suffered a side tear during a practice game for Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the IPL eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

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. You have to take it in your stride, that is the time when you get to know what is the weak part of your body, where you have to work…I had six weeks to work on things, so it was good in a way,” Pandey sounded philosophical about the IPL injury.

Manish Pandey acknowledged he had lost his No 4 spot to Rahul. “That is where I bat, I have batted for a long time. 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.”

SINCE HIS 2015 INDIA DEBUT, PANDEY HAS PLAYED ONLY 12 ODIS AND EIGHT TWENTY20 INTERNATIONALS