Taking into account the upsurge of young talent and his own limited skills, Manish Pandey seems to be playing for his place in India’s white-ball unit. He was livid with himself as he frittered away a decent start in the series opener and was adamant about making amends in the second game. The right-hander was on course to produce a score of note when he found himself at the receiving end of a wicked spell of fortune in the second ODI against Sri Lanka.
Stationed at the non-striker’s end on 37, Pandey was run out courtesy of a straight drive that brushed the bowler’s fingertips on its way to the stumps. Under fire for his sluggish strike-rates, Pandey had a golden opportunity to anchor the chase and reassert his worth as an ODI specialist. But as it turned out, luck had the last laugh.