Manish Pandey's dedication has paid off, says his father

January 24, 2016

Bengaluru:

 

Manish Pandey gave India a reason to cheer, leading the team to victory in the final ODI match against Australia in Sydney with his maiden international century, but back home in Bengaluru, his parents kept the celebrations low-key for now but plan to celebrate once Manish returns. 

Pandey's 129-ball 104 helped India, who had lost the first four matches, fin ish the series on a high with a six-wicket win. 

The family was flooded with congratulatory calls from relatives, friends and coaches. "This is a special occasion. We're overjoyed that Manish scored a century for a winning cause against one of the toughest teams," said Manish's father KN Pandey, a retired army colonel. "My wife and I had a cup of tea to celebrate the moment. He proved himself and we're looking forward to seeing him play more for India," he said. 

Pandey said they expected India to win the match rather than their son complete his century. "Being an army man, country always comes first for me and we cannot accept defeats in any situation. So we were expecting India to win rather than Manish complete his ton.There were many anxious moments during his knock but I'm happy he performed well," he said. 

It's been a long wait. Manish, who was knocking on the Team India doors for six years with stellar performances in domestic cricket, missed out on a ton by 29 runs on his debut tour of Zimbabwe last July . Pandey said his century Down Under is a reflection of his hard work and determination. "All the hardships Manish faced made him stronger. Lack of opportunities didn't stop him from working hard. His feat in Australia is a result of his dedication."

Pandey's father's job kept the young Manish travelling all around the country . Born in Nainital, Manish grew up in Nashik, where he played in junior cricket, before moving to Suratgarh in Rajasthan Then, his father was trans ferred back to Bengaluru in 2000, where Manish bloomed as a cricketer. "Most parents in India want their children to become a cricketer. Manish too showed great interest in the sport and I supported him in whatever way I could," re called Pandey . 

Pandey felt his son's up bringing in the army envi ronment helped him in a big ger way . "Right from his ju nior cricket days, Manish has never played for himself. He has always been a team man," he said. 

Manish's Karnataka coach J Arun Kumar com pared the 26-year-old to Aus tralian great Adam Gil christ for his attacking skills. "Manish is a reserved character. But when he is on the field, he always put the team above himself. He'll deliver under pressure situations. He's like Gilchrist, al ways counter-attacks and gets the team to a winning position," said Arun. 

"Unfortunately I could not watch his innings as I was coaching kids in my academy who kept giving giving me over-by-over updates," he added. 

Pandey's Karnataka teammate Karun Nair echoed Arun's view. "Manish is our go-tobatsman during pressure situations. He has an uncanny knack of scoring runs under tough situations.Most cricketers succumb to pressure but Manish will bring out his best," he said."I'm happy he scored his century in a winning cause," Nair added.

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