Wednesday was another gloomy day in the camps of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) as they lost against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by six runs.
Batting first, the Bangalore-based franchise could only put 149/8 on the scoreboard in their allotted 20 overs.
Led by their captain David Warner, SRH were the probable winners at 96/1 and only needed 54 runs off the last seven overs. The required rate was just a little over 7. Manish Pandey, on the other end, was in his 30s and considering his run-a-ball innings was the anchor of the chase.
However, in a turn of events in the 17th over, the left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed, took three crucial wickets of Johnny Bairstow, Manish Pandey and Abdul Samad in the same fashion leaving the Hyderabad-based franchise in tatters.
While Bairstow and Samad were new to the crease, Pandey (38 off 39), bore the brunt of expectations to guiding his team to a win.
Talking about the same, former Indian pacer Ashish Nehra, opined that the Nainital-born batsman’s inability to quickly adapt to the game situation and thrive under pressure is the key reason he isn’t a regular pick in the national side.
The veteran also added that though Pandey had made his debut in 2015, way ahead of Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, and Suryakumar Yadav, yet the latter lot is preferable over him.
“This is the reason Manish Pandey has been in and out of the Indian team. If you see how long ago he made his debut and players like Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav have gone way ahead of him. This is because their game is different and also they adapt and survive in pressure situations a lot better than him. That’s why Manish Pandey has been left behind,” Nehra explained while speaking to Cricbuzz.
When asked about Ahmed’s exploits, the 41-year-old told the website that Virat Kohli brought the spinner at the right time, and it seemed like tailenders were batting for SRH.
“Virat Kohli brought the left-arm spinner at the right moment. But you see how all three batsmen got out. It never felt like Jonny Bairstow, Abdul Samad and Manish Pandey have got out but it seemed like tailenders have given away their wickets,” said the 2011 World Cup winner.
Nehra also asserted that tailenders play against the turning ball and are left with no option other than to hit it to mid-wicket or long-on.
“When tailenders play against the turning ball, they only see mid-wicket and long-on but good players who can handle pressure also play towards mid-off and covers,” the Delhi-born added.
