Manish Panday who starred for India with the bat in the second T20I against South Africa was a mere spectator in the ODI series. In the 6 Match ODI series which India won convincingly with a lead of 5-1, Manish Panday did not even get a single game.
It was only in the T20 series that he found himself a place in the playing XI and that turned out to be a bittersweet experience. Manish Panday couldn’t do much in the first game which India won and when he did score big it was all to be in a losing cause.
Had to see a doctor for depression: Manish Panday
For perhaps the first time today in this tour, it was India’s middle order that outshined the top order. In the second T20I it wasn’t about Kohli or Dhawan but about Manish Pandey and MS Dhoni. Being asked to bat first by the South African captain India lost Rohit Sharma the very first ball and India seemed in trouble.
After the little partnership between Suresh Raina and Manish Pandey was terminated, MS Dhoni joined Manish Pandey on the crease. The two anchored the Indian innings brilliantly and took India to 188 in 20 overs. Both remained unbeaten for and shared a partnership of 98 runs between them.
The Centurion witnessed the vintage MS Dhoni after a long time and his fans were just delighted to see their kind of Dhoni back in the grove. Manish Pandey top scored for India with a brilliant knock of 79 but it was Dhoni’s half century that fans enjoyed the most.
Here’s what Manish Panday had to say about his long wait at the bench for India
“India has got a really good top line-up. We have top three batting for about 35-40 overs with guys like Virat and then Mahi coming in ahead of me. But yeah I think it’d be nice to get some more chances and wish I could deliver”
“Honestly, it is a little tough. It works on your mind a lot. Especially on this tour, I felt it a lot actually. I had to see a doctor also because of that.”
Here’s what he said about Dhoni “I think Mahi woke up. (Laughs). It was his chance, he’s probably the best lower down the order,” he said. “In the last couple of overs he looks to dominate and that’s what happens. He’s done that a number of times. I thought SA bowled fairly well. It’s just that a couple of inside edges went to the boundary and some really good shots by Mahi took us to 188. I think South Africa bowled fairly well today.”
Manish Panday revealed this in an interview given to Cricbuzz.
Here is the video:
https://twitter.com/iamchetss/status/966368633772425216?
