Why now is the right time for Manish Pandey

It was way back in 2009 during the second edition of the IPL that Karnataka’s Manish Pandey created history as a 19-year-old by becoming the first Indian cricketer to score an IPL century, yet here we are in 2016 when the talented right-handed batsman is still looking for a consistent run in the team. Sure he has been given a chance here and there, but he still remains a backup option at best rather than a serious contender in the eyes of the national selectors.

To state that Pandey has received a raw deal as far as his selection in the Indian side is concerned would be an understatement. Despite his mesmerising century for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Deccan Chargers in the 2009 IPL which propelled him into the limelight as well as the match-winning 94 for Kolkata Knight Riders against Kings XI Punjab during the final of IPL 2014, it was only during India’s tour of Zimbabwe in 2015 that Pandey finally got the chance to represent India.

Sure, getting into an Indian team, especially as a batsman is a tough task indeed. Even more so when you have been overshadowed by someone like Virat Kohli who was Pandey’s skipper at the Under-19 World Cup in 2008. While Kohli has gone on to establish himself as a superstar in the game, Pandey is still looking for a consistent run in the national side and is currently skippering the India A side which is on tour in Australia.

To be fair to Pandey, he has been making quite an impression Down Under as he has led the side from front emerging as India A’s leading run-getter during the quadrangular One-Day series. With the focus now primarily being on India’s busy home season which will see them play as many as 14 Tests at home, Pandey will have to wait for the ODI legs of the series’ to make an impact.

Pandey deserves a consistent run in the side

The year 2016 has been a strange one so far with the focus being primarily on T20 cricket and Test cricket. The beginning of the year, however, saw Pandey make a huge impact in Australia when he smashed that brilliant match-winning century at the SCG which was India's only victory during the ODI series. India’s only three ODIs since have come against Zimbabwe where in Pandey didn’t even get a chance to come out to bat on two occasions.

While the Test matches will take precedence, it should also be remembered that India will five ODIs against New Zealand and three against England while also playing three T20Is against the latter. The selectors should take this opportunity to give Pandey, along with KL Rahul, a consistent run in the side with the 2017 Champions Trophy in mind.

The likes of someone like Suresh Raina has been given many opportunities to excel, but he still remains susceptible to genuine fast bowling and there’s no sign of that changing anytime soon.

Pandey, 27, is now at that stage of his career where he needs to be given the chance to show his talent on the biggest stage before it’s too late. The Indian selectors should be looking forward rather than backward and Pandey comes across as someone who needs the backing from the selectors to be on his own and play fearlessly. Considering the talent at his disposal, there is no harm in giving him that confidence.

Consistency is key to the game

Despite his good performances for India A in Australia, Pandey didn’t find a place in the squad for India’s Test series opener against New Zealand, but to be fair to the selectors, his chances were very lean to begin with. The limited-overs formats need to be Pandey’s focus at the moment and he will have the chance to do just that when he returns home from Australia for Mysuru Warriors in the fifth edition of the Karnataka Premier League.

Despite his undoubted skills, Pandey needs to work on his consistency to warrant himself a place in the ODI side. He has the chance to establish himself as a regular in the playing eleven with the selectors seeming to have run out of patience with the likes of Raina and Yuvraj. Pandey will face a stiff challenge from KL Rahul, but there is still a spot up for grabs for Pandey.

Pandey has matured as a batsman over the years and he can be the perfect middle-order batsman for the Men in Blue coming in at No 4 or 5. He has the right technique to anchor the innings through the middle overs while he can also be the aggressor when required. That innings at the SCG also showed his temperament when under pressure chasing a big score.

It would be unfair to expect Pandey to perform whenever he is called upon especially when the likes of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma have been given plenty of opportunities to stake their claim in the side. Someone as talented as Pandey deserves the same chance and he has grown leaps and bounds from the fiery youngster we saw back in 2009 and is now a mature lad who has a bright future in hand as far as the national side is concerned.