Manish Pandey Targets West Indies Series For International Comeback
Dec 31, 2018 at 1:56 PM
After being ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy due to a left side strain, India’s middle-order batsman Manish Pandey has said he is targeting the limited-overs series in West Indies to return to action.
The right-handed batsman had sustained the injury during a practice session for his Indian Premier League team Kolkata Knight Riders. Before that, the 27-year old had looked in good touch, scoring 396 runs in 13 innings at an average of 49.50.
Expressing his disappointment over missing the crucial tournament, Pandey said that he would resume training in a couple of weeks.
“It is disappointing for sure to miss a tournament like the Champions Trophy but injuries are part and parcel of the game. I am on my way to recovery and should resume training in a week or two,” Pandey told PTI.
“The target is definitely to be fit by the time the West Indies series begins. I am waiting for a scan report (for a muscle tear on the left leg) but at the max. it would take me a couple of weeks to be fully fit,” he further added.
Tamil Nadu ace Dinesh Karthik, who was initially in the 5-man standby list, replaced Pandey for the eight-team tournament. The wicketkeeper-batsman, who enjoyed a brilliant domestic season, has already made a good impression by scoring 94 runs in the second warm-up game against Bangladesh after failing in the first practice tie against New Zealand.
The defending champions, meanwhile, will begin their Champions Trophy campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on June 4. After the conclusion of the tournament, the Men in Blue will travel to the West Indies to play five ODIs and one T20 International.
The first ODI match is on June 23 and will be played at the Queen’s Park Oval.