Manish Pandey, a middle-order batsman for Delhi Capitals, has come under fire from former India World Cup champion Krishnamachari Srikkanth for his performance in the Indian Premier League. In his four IPL 2023 games, the 33-year-old has only scored 97 runs at a strike rate of 121.25.
BCCI East Srikkanth, the chairman of selectors, declined to comment on Manish Pandey, the Karnataka batsman, claiming that he does not want to talk about him and that Delhi Capitals shouldn’t be involved either. Srikkanth is now a part of Star Sports’ IPL 2023 coverage.
When Australian TV host Neroli Meadows questioned Srikkanth about his thoughts on Manish Pandey’s involvement in the David Warner-led team’s underachievers, the former India opener said he was pressed for time. Wants Akshar Patel to bat higher in the order, which doesn’t make logic.
“Why is Manish Pandey a topic of discussion? I’m not interested in discussing that. Even the team shouldn’t have the dude on it. Axar Patel is in the best shape of his life and deserves to bat high, so let’s talk about that.” Srikkanth Krishnamachari stated.
Credits for Krishnamachari Srikkanth: Twitter
The David Warner-led team had a disastrous start to the league, dropping five straight contests before taking down KKR on Thursday. The only successful batsman for Delhi Capitals has been the Australian southpaw, as Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh, Manish Pandey, and Lalit Yadav have all together struggled for the Delhi club.
Krishnamachari Srikkanth would not have played if I had been the chairman of selectors.
Krishnamachari Srikkanth, a former cricketer for Tamil Nadu, stated that he did not like to discuss the Karnataka captain and added that if he had been the chairman of the selectors, he would not have included him in the team.
I’m not interested in discussing that, no. He has no place on this team. He wouldn’t have played if I were the selectors’ chairman. Srikanth tacked on.
Manish Pandey, who has represented the Men in Blue in white-ball formats, was the first Indian batsman to get a hundred in the lucrative league. He is capable of reproducing his performance at the highest level. The 33-year-old has participated in the Indian Premier League for seven different franchises, but he has not been able to have an impact on the competition. Pandey only managed 88 runs in six games during the IPL 2022 season.
On April 24, the Delhi Capitals will play their seventh league game against the Aiden Markram-led Sunrisers Hyderabad, the 2016 winners, and they will be seeking to continue their winning ways.