India registered another Super Over win against New Zealand on Friday. However, the star of the game, Manish Pandey said they will try for a 5-0 series whitewash in the series. New Zealand’s middle-order once again failed to deliver at the end and India won it second successive time to take a 4-0 lead in the T20I series on Friday.
“It has been our motto, not only for these two matches, that till the time the last ball is bowled, we won’t give up any match. If you play with that intent you will get matches like these where you might get a Super Over, and you win from there,” Manish Pandey said at the post-match conference.
“And now we have an opportunity to make it 5-0 and it will be really amazing to do that. Come the fifth match, we will look to go 5-0 up, that is our plan. Nobody has done it before and especially India has not done it before. So, I think it will be a great start to do that,” he shared.
However, he was asked if they were thinking of winning the game in a Super Over yet again as they did on Friday, Pandey gave a fitting reply.
“In the middle, it looked like we were a little easy on ourselves. But since it had happened the last game, we thought we had to bowl good balls and it is possible we push it to a Super Over. And then, as the balls went by and we reached the last two balls, we were certain that this would go to Super Over. We were ready for it in the back of our mind. We have very good bowlers and Shardul (Thakur) bowled a very good last over. For his effort, he deserved it that the game went into a Super Over,” said Pandey.
India’s fielding once again came under the scanner, as windy conditions in Wellington did not help them at all. He said preparation was important as it helps get the basics right in such situations.
“It becomes difficult to take high catches when there is stiff breeze or wind as the ball starts moving when coming down. Even if you set yourself nicely, the ball still moves around. We need to practice more so that it becomes easier in matches. It’s up to the individual how he prepares himself and sets himself,” he told.
Manish Pandey bats lower down the order usually, particularly at numbers five and six. Against Sri Lanka, West Indies and Bangladesh at home, and in New Zealand now, he took the finisher’s role. He smashed a 50* off 36 balls in the fourth game.
“I have no choice. I have to be good with it. I have to start preparing my mind as a no. 6 batsman because normally I bat up the order, no. 3 or no.4. Here with the competition up the top, you just have to wait for your chances,” the right-handed batsman added.
“Today was the opportunity and I’ve been preparing myself as to how to bat at no. 6 and what kind of shots I can play, what kind of bowlers, and how many overs are left. It’s not an easy position to bat at no. 6, where you know you are the last main batsman and you have to play with the bowlers if anything happens up the top. That’s what happened today. I was pretty clear about my role,” he later expressed.
He also shared his game plan in the match as he didn’t go for big hits in the beginning and waited for it.
“I just have to play those twos, look to rotate the strike. I’ve been working on that and today I thought it came off really well. If you want to bat at six, then you have to be pre-ready. The game is already set for you at no. 6 and you just have to sometimes go and perform at the speed that the previous batsmen have set for you,” Pandey shared.
“Today, I had opportunity to bat a little early. Not too much to contribute the last couple of games, but today was my opportunity and I thought if I could use it to my advantage, that will be great for me and my side. Quite happy to be there in this position,” Manish Pandey concluded.
However, he said he still wants to bat higher in the line up at No. 3, like in the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad. He further said that head coach Ravi Shastri helped him a lot to prepare himself as a finisher of the game.
