The South African team performed brilliantly to win the second T20i against India but Indians seem to be more interested in what former skipper MS Dhoni said to Manish Pandey while batting rather than the results.
The Indian team gave a target of 189 runs to South Africa which they achieved with 6 wickets remaining. India had a bad start but MS Dhoni and Manish Pandey handled the innings well and took India to a comfortable score. Dhoni scored his half century in just 27 balls while Manish Pandey remained unbeaten at 79.
However during the 20th over, Dhoni shouted at Manish Pandey and said,
“Oyee.. Bhootni ke idhar dekh lae. udhar kya dekh raha hai.. Main idhar khada hu na batting kar raha.”
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Because of the stump-mic, audiences also got to hear what Dhoni said and this was enough fodder for Twitterati to make jokes and memes.
When Manish Pandey was asked in the press conference about Dhoni’s performance, he praised Dhoni and said,
“I think Mahi woke up. (Laughs). It was his chance, he’s probably the best lower down the order. In the last couple of overs he looks to dominate and that’s what happens. He’s done that a number of times. I thought SA bowled fairly well. It’s just that a couple of inside edges went to the boundary and some really good shots by Mahi took us to 188. I think South Africa bowled fairly well today.”
Manish also praised the South African wicketkeeper-batsman Heinrich Klaasen who scored 69 runs. He said,
“It has been two years now. Even in the India A series we’ve played against him, he was part of South Africa A, he scored a 100 against us. It didn’t really surprise me. I’ve seen a 100, I’ve seen the runs he’s got before, also in one of the ODIs he got (a) fair bit. It’s not very surprising because I’ve seen him and played with him for quite some time now. But it is good to see him bat the way he’s batting right now. That’s the way he plays in the A series. So it is good to see that.”
However, Manish was not happy with the fact that he could have done far better than what he has performed till now. In his words,
“Sometimes I feel.. you know I bat at no. 5. I’ve got a few chances at No. 4, I’ve delivered. Batting combinations sometimes push me down to 5. I’ve tried my bit but I also feel I could do a bit more with myself. India has got a really good top line-up. We have top three batting for about 35-40 overs with guys like Virat and then Mahi coming in ahead of me. But yeah I think it’d be nice to get some more chances and wish I could deliver more. Actually, I can deliver a lot more than I am doing right now.”
Manish Pandey added,
“It is tough. Playing for India at no.5… you know people who have batted for India at No. 5 before me, Raina is there, Yuvi pa was there. To fill in their shoes it is a little tough. In the last couple of years, (the) Indian line-up is doing really well up top. You have to be really patient for your chances. From the ball one you have to go after it. That’s what I tried to do in the first game. I’ve come back and I’m playing after a long time, it works on the mind little bit. Today was a good day for me and I still want to continue the way I’ve always played.”
He was also not pleased sitting on the bench and not being able to play more. He talked about the pressure and said,
“Honestly, it is a little tough. It works on your mind a lot. Especially this tour I felt a lot actually. I had to see a doctor also because of that. But it is okay. It is part of the game, that’s what cricket is all about. You have to wait for your chances, especially to play for a team like India where you have all stars and legends after legends. So you have to be patient and try my bit there.”
We wish all the best to the 28 years old Indian cricketer and expect him to get more chances and hope that he uses them in the best possible manner.