Vaibhav AroraHe wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father and get into the Indian army if he failed to make a mark in cricket – the game he loves. But destiny had other plans for him. Who would have thought that a twenty over game would turn a young Ranji hopeful into a household name.
Just as the second season of the Indian Premier League in South Africa neared its end, 19 year old Manish Pandey etched his name in history books as he became the first Indian player to hit a century in the multi-million dollar T20 tournament.
Prior to his blazing display of slam bang cricket against the Deccan Chargers, Manish Pandey was better known as one of the members of India’s Under-19 cricket team, which won the World Cup in Kuala Lumpur a few years back. The achievement not only got him instant recognition, but also ensured his name for the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League in 2008.
An excited Pandey was drawn to represent the Mumbai Indians where he got a chance to be alongside the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh, which proved to be a big learning curve in his blossoming career.
Originally hailing from Nainital in Uttarakhand, where he played most of his early cricket, Pandey later-on shifted base to Bangalore at the age of 15 to get more exposure and better opportunities in the world of cricket. His father, G S Pandey, an Army man, always encouraged him to follow his passion and make his mark on the bigger stage.
Pandey’s first class career began last year when he debuted for Karnataka, but failed to live up to the expectations, scoring just two half centuries and a total of 193 runs from 5 games at an average of just over 27.
Watching him bludgeon the Deccan bowling attack to all corners of the park in the IPL may lead you to consider him as one of those young breed of players who with their huge repertoire of unorthodox shots are only fit for the contemporary slam bang version of the game but it is his solid defence that has prompted critics to label him as the next big thing in Karnataka cricket.
The young sensation is also an athletic fielder, which adds up with the batting to make him a complete cricketer with raw talent that just needs to be polished to make it shine brighter.
Having made his IPL debut for the Mumbai Indians, Pandey was chosen by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for the second season. After a few games of settling and getting his eye in, he not only changed his, but also his team’s fortunes with an innings that will be remembered for a long time in the history of IPL.
First Published: Friday, May 22, 2009, 00:00
(The views expressed by the author are personal)
