IPL 2021: Can a fruitful season with SRH resurrect Manish Pandey's Team India career?
Manish Pandey's Team India call-up hopes hinge heavily on how he fills up the stats sheets in IPL 2021. While he's been patchy for SRH, this is the season for Pandey to prove he's worth his salt, not just for the franchise, but to repose faith in the national selectors, who will be keeping a keen eye on the Karnataka batsmen.
SRH finished third in IPL 2020 and Pandey stacked up 425 runs, the highest he's scored in the last five seasons. While he had three fifties, Manish Pandey's substantial contribution with a string of 30+ scores ensured he finished behind skipper David Warner amongst the run-scorers for SRH. He averaged 32.69 with the bat at a strike rate of 127.62.
What does this mean for Manish Pandey and SRH in IPL 2021?
A better IPL 2021 hopefully. The first Indian to score a ton in the IPL has been plagued by inconsistency over the years. The SRH think-tank will be hoping runs flow from his willow in IPL 2021 to add to their major guns in David Warner, Kane Williamson and Jonny Bairstow.
Pandey's leadership skills augur well for the franchise. His captaincy stints for Karnataka add to the quality he brings to the table. To top things off, his gun fielding makes him a valuable asset.
Time and again, the top-order batsman has been instrumental in chipping in with key contributions to SRH on the field and there's every chance he will be a large part of the team's plans this year.
Does Manish Pandey have a chance to break into the Indian line-up again?
There was quite a stir when Manish Pandey was omitted from the recent ODI and T20I series against England. His opportunities were limited and he played just one game when India faced Australia last November. It was a forgettable outing as he was dismissed for just two runs and was subsequently left out of the team's home series against England.
IPL 2021 is set to be the main stage for Indian players to prove themselves worthy of selection to the Team India squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup. The focus will be on Manish Pandey, who has appeared much more comfortable in the shorter format.
That said, his chances of breaking into the squad have not been made any easier thanks to the presence of Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, and Sanju Samson. The trio have seen their rich domestic and previous IPL performances handsomely rewarded in recent times.
Doubts have already been raised about Manish Pandey's future in the national setup. Former India opener Aakash Chopra recently shared his thoughts on Pandey's Team India tenure.
On his YouTube channel, Chopra said there remains a "question mark" over Manish Pandey's career.
"Manish Pandey’s name usually features (in Indian limited-overs teams). This brings a question mark over his (international) career because he anyway doesn’t get many chances in the XI and now you are again looking at Pant and other options," said Aakash Chopra
Essentially, it all boils down to this IPL 2021 season for Manish Pandey. The pressure is certainly not something new for a man who has faced unrealistic expectations in the past, but there's no doubt that Pandey will be feeling the heat.
Only time will tell how he fares and what the future has in store for Manish Pandey.