Manish Pandey Expresses Frustration Over His Batting Position
Published - 01 Feb 2020, 10:48 AM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 06:36 AM
India’s middle-order batsman Manish Pandey has made it clear that he is not too happy with his batting spot in the playing eleven. The right-handed batsman, who is yet to cement his spot in the playing eleven of the ODI and T20I team, is being used predominantly as a finisher by the team-management.
Throughout the home season and the ongoing series against New Zealand, the 30-year-old has been batting lower down the order, particularly at numbers five and six. He batted at number five or lower against Sri Lanka, West Indies, Bangladesh and New Zealand.
On Friday too, he was sent to bat at number six during the fourth T20I against New Zealand. The Karnataka star managed to do justice to his inclusion in the playing eleven by scoring an unbeaten fifty to help India recover from 88 for 6 and post a challenging 165 for 8. The Men in Blue had gone on to win the game in the super over yet again.
WHAT A WIN – ??
A night to remember ??? #TeamIndia #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/AMqNx1aWjz— BCCI (@BCCI) January 31, 2020
Also Read: India Set To Defend Asia Cup Title As Tournament Is Likely To Be Hosted In UAE: Report
Speaking at the end of the match, Manish Pandey subtly hinted that he is not happy with his batting position but has no choice. While stating that he normally bats at number three or four, he would have to get ready to bat at number six.
“I have no choice. I have to be good with it. I have to start preparing my mind as a no. 6 batsman because normally I bat up the order, no. 3 or no.4. Here with the competition up the top, you just have to wait for your chances,” he said.
“Today was the opportunity and I’ve been preparing myself as to how to bat at no. 6 and what kind of shots I can play, what kind of bowlers, and how many overs are left. It’s not an easy position to bat at no. 6, where you know you are the last main batsman and you have to play with the bowlers if anything happens up the top. That’s what happened today. I was pretty clear about my role,” he added.
Manish Pandey further spoke about his knock. It was not a whirlwind knock as he managed to score 50 from 36 balls that featured only three fours. But then again, he had very little support from the other end.
“I just have to play those twos, look to rotate the strike. I’ve been working on that and today I thought it came off really well. If you want to bat at six, then you have to be pre-ready. The game is already set for you at no. 6 and you just have to sometimes go and perform at the speed that the previous batsmen have set for you,” Pandey said.
He concluded by saying that he still relishes batting higher up at No. 3, like in the IPL. He also said that head coach Ravi Shastri has been helping him prepare to play the finisher’s role.
