Taking into account the upsurge of young talent and his own limited skills, Manish Pandey seems to be playing for his place in India’s white-ball unit. He was livid with himself as he frittered away a decent start in the series opener and was adamant about making amends in the second game. The right-hander was on course to produce a score of note when he found himself at the receiving end of a wicked spell of fortune in the second ODI against Sri Lanka.
Another BIG WICKET!#ManishPandey didn’t even wait for the decision!
Shanaka stretches and manages to get a finger on it before it hits the stumps!#TeamIndia have to go a long way!#INDvSL #INDvsSL #SLvIND #SLvsIND#Cricket pic.twitter.com/8bTnNmjLFe— BlueCap 🇮🇳 (@IndianzCricket) July 20, 2021
Stationed at the non-striker’s end on 37, Pandey was run out courtesy of a straight drive that brushed the bowler’s fingertips on its way to the stumps. Under fire for his sluggish strike-rates, Pandey had a golden opportunity to anchor the chase and reassert his worth as an ODI specialist. But as it turned out, luck had the last laugh.