"Test cricket on cards!"- SRH fans in splits as Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav play together
Manish Pandey has returned to the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) team for their clash against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The 31-year-old will have a point to prove after being dropped for two games.
Manish Pandey is one of the most experienced Indian middle-order batsmen currently playing in the IPL. He has played some fine knocks for SRH in a middle-order that has been light on experience. Pandey scored 425 runs in 16 games last year β his highest tally in a single IPL season.
Although he has scored 101 runs this season, including a half-century, Manish Pandey was severely criticized for his low strike rate that cost SRH the game in two run-chases. Skipper David Warner also mentioned that dropping Pandey was a very tough decision taken by the selectors.
Twitter reacts to Manish Pandey's inclusion in the SRH XI
Fans had mixed reactions to Manish Pandey being included in the playing XI. While some believed it was not a great decision to drop the 31-year-old in the first place, others felt both him and Kedar Jadhav would just slow down the run-scoring in the middle-overs.
Here is how Twitter reacted to the inclusion of Manish Pandey:
CSK, on the other hand, are high on confidence after four straight wins. They brushed aside an RCB side that were unbeaten until that point, thanks to an all-round showing from Ravindra Jadeja. The all-rounder not only scored 62 off just 28 balls, but also picked up three wickets and forced a run-out in the field.
MS Dhoni and his men will be buoyed by the return of Moeen Ali, who was unfit in the last game. The 33-year-old has been fantastic for CSK with both bat and ball and is the X factor that has helped them become a dominant force once again.
SRH are certainly up against a very strong team, but they need to set up a really good total having decided to bat first. With just one win from five games, time is running out for SRH to keep their hopes of making it to the playoffs alive.