The last time Manish Pandey donned the India blue, he scored an ODI century – a ton that oozed confidence, maturity and a sense of positivity. Two months later, he is back in the mix, back with the ones he had rubbed shoulders with and received appreciation from the ones who savoured his landmark as much as him.
An injury to all-rounder Yuvraj Singh meant, Manish Pandey was called in as replacement. Though it had been two months since he had played international cricket, Pandey said he was always getting ready for the tournaments ahead. “It feels really nice to be back in the Indian team,” Pandey told BCCI.TV. “After that tour in Australia, I had some time off, but I knew that the IPL was coming up and I was always prepared for the next big opportunity that would come my way.
“I was told that I would be the standby for the T20 World Cup so I had even more motivation to train harder and work towards my game. It is very unfortunate for Yuvraj Singh to get injured. Individually it is a good achievement for me to comeback and be a part of the World Cup side. It is a good feeling altogether,” he added.
Speaking about his time off after the Australia tour, Pandey said he was in a good batting space. “Only after the Australia tour I had a little bit of time off and after that I knew that I had to comeback and start playing my game again for the bigger tournaments coming up. I was doing that pretty much and played two T20 tournaments for my company. I am feeling really good and I have been hitting really well. I am just hoping and praying that I get an opportunity and deliver for the team.”
Pandey has had a total of two practice sessions with the Indian team. When the rest of the side took an off day after the intriguing clash against Australia, Ajinkya Rahane and Pandey decided to take have a stint at the nets at CCI.
Pandey believed the practice sessions on wickets that suited his style of batting would prove helpful. “Yesterday we were at CCI and today we are at the Wankhede stadium. The wickets here are really good and I had a good batting session. I like the wickets in Mumbai since there is good bounce and the wickets are true. I believe somewhere it will suit my batting. If you are playing regularly and practicing for the big game, you know that you are in the zone already. In that case half the job is done. After that it is about being in the situation – play the game and deliver there. I was always ready and practicing for this.”
On a parting note, Pandey said he took a lot of confidence from the century he scored at the SCG. He only wished to get a game and do what’s best for his side. “I take a lot of confidence from my last international game in terms of the attitude, my psyche towards batting and the positivity in the shots I play. That is what I learnt from there and I want to keep it going. I know my role in the team and the things that I am supposed to do. I will focus on that. It will be a good game tomorrow (Thursday) and I am hoping for the best.”
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