Manish Pandey relishes competition for spots in the Indian side

Pandey in all probability will be making his debut for India against Zimbabwe

Manish Pandey hit the headlines all over the cricketing world six years ago when he became the first Indian to score a hundred in the Indian Premier League. Since then, he has made a steady progress in the domestic scene, but a senior debut has always eluded him.

He received a call for the one-off T20 last year against the West Indies at home, but that was called off since the series was stopped half-way. And now, here he is waiting for a chance to step into the middle against Zimbabwe next month as he has been named in the new-look 15 member squad for the 3 ODIs and T20s.

"It was a little heartbreaking first time because it was my first call-up and the game didn't happen," Pandey told ESPNcricinfo. "But it's not in in my control. This is going to be a really good opportunity for me to prove my mettle and try and be a part of the Indian team for a long time."

He also spoke about his performances in this year’s IPL where he scored just one fifty and ended up with an average of 21. To make matters worse, his team didn’t qualify for the playoffs.

"This IPL I got a lot of 20s and 30s, I always felt I was batting well. There were times where I could have concentrated a little more. But I was batting pretty well, both in the first-class season and IPL, so maybe that's why I got the call-up. I am pretty happy with the way I am batting and look forward to doing better there," he told the website.

Pandey further revealed to the website that he relishes the challenge for the slots with Kedar Jadhav, Manoj Tiwary, Robin Uthappa and Murali Vijay. "There is always competition, that's the beauty of the game. It is my first experience, I will be waiting to play some games for the country and try and make my mark there. If I am able to do that I will be happy. That is what I should be focusing more on. It is a matter of time, there is a lot of competition. You have to wait for your chances, mine is coming a little later than I was expecting, but its okay. My goal is to be in the Indian side for a long time. All three formats of the game are really important to me. It would be very nice to get the cap in all formats and hope for the best."