Colombo, Middle-order batsman Manish Pandey is looking to cement his spot in the playing XI on the back of his half-century in the fourth ODI against Sri Lanka.
“Middle order is where I bat. Starting from No. 4 to No. 6 I have batted at different positions for India. I have to be ready for whatever spot I get. So if I get a chance then I need to get some runs and cement that spot for myself first,” Pandey said.
“Then if you keep performing and you keep playing better then you come one up in the order. So that will be my goal to fix a spot for myself, stay there at the end and win games for India,” he added.
Pandey’s unbeaten knock came off 42 balls and was studded with four boundaries. “Even batting through the India A series I batted very similar to the way I batted today. So it was not too different for me to come back and think about it like it was my first game in a long time. I have been batting well in the nets and I just had to watch the ball and play,” he said.
Pandey came into the side on back of experimentation by the team management keeping in view the 2019 World Cup. Kedar Jadhav was left out and Pandey responded with a well-made half-century to his credit, carrying the form over from the India A tour of South Africa.
“I had a chat with Ravi bhai before the start of the game about how I take some time before I start playing my natural game,” Pandey said.