Karnataka batsman Manish Pandey was called in as cover for the injured Yuvraj Singh and now the chances are high that he might find a spot in the playing XI in the all-important semifinal of the ICC T20 World Cup 2016. India will square off against West Indies in the second semi-final at Wankhede tonight.
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The last time Pandey played for India, he scored a ton against Australia in the fifth ODI in Australia and saved his team from a humiliating 5-0 whitewash. The hundred in that game was surely a testament of Pandey’s confidence and maturity.
Pandey is himself confident ahead of the game against West Indies. He said, “It feels really nice to be back in the Indian team. 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,” in an interview to the BCCI.TV.
It’s good to be a part of the World Cup side
He also added, “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 come back and be a part of the World Cup side. It is a good feeling altogether.”
Speaking about the time-off after the Australia tour, Pandey said that he was always in a good batting space and he always wanted to come back to the national squad. He played for his company during the break and he feels that he has been hitting really well. He is also hoping to get an opportunity and deliver a good performance for the team.
Pandey has attended two practice sessions with the Indian team so far and had a stint at the nets at CCI with Ajinkya Rahane when the team was having an off-day after the high-voltage Australia clash. He believed that the practice sessions on wickets that suited his style of batting would prove beneficial. He liked the trueness of the wickets in Mumbai and said that it would suit his style of batting. He sounded confident after the practice session.
Pandey also admitted that the hundred against Australia in Sydney gave him a lot of confidence and he felt that it would help him in terms of his attitude, psyche towards batting and the positivity in the shots that he plays. He added that he is certain of his role in the team and he is keen to focus on that.
After Yuvraj’s sudden injury which ruled him out of the semifinal, there has been a sort of conundrum regarding his possible replacement in the squad. The choice is between Rahane, Pandey and Pawan Negi and the team management will have a headache for sure regarding the team selection for the all-important semifinal.
Pandey with his proven T20 histrionics definitely holds an edge over his competitors.
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