Pragyan Ojha, former Indian spinner said Manish Pandey has not been delivering as per expectations despite the trust shown in him by the Sunrisers Hyderabad team management in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 and a couple of games break can work in his favour.
Speaking to Sports Today, Pragyan Ojha said all-rounder Kedar Jadhav can be a good option for Sunrisers Hyderabad who is lacking experience in the middle-order. SRH slipped to their 3rd straight defeat of the season on Saturday as MI defended 150 in Chennai.
Pragyan Ojha: Manish Pandey Should Take A Break From Next 2 Games
Pragyan Ojha, speaking to Sports Today, pointed out that Manish Pandey might need time to take a backseat and reassess his game to deliver better in IPL 2021 season. Pragyan Ojha’s comments came after Manish Pandey got out early after a good start from David Warner and Jonny Bairstow in SRH’s failed chase of 151 against Mumbai Indians.
Sunrisers Hyderabad slipped to their worst-ever start in an IPL season after losing their first three matches of the new season. Chasing 151 against MI, SRH got off to a solid start with openers David Warner and Jonny Bairstow adding 67 runs but the former champions were bundled out for 137.
Manish Pandey, who bats at No. 3 for SRH, began his season with a 44-ball 61 not out but the Karnataka batsman was not able to finish the match in their chase of 188 against Kolkata Knight Riders. Against RCB, his strike rate came under the scanner as he hit 38 off 39 balls as Sunrisers lost by 7 runs while chasing 150 at Chepauk.
“For someone like Manish Pandey, it will be good for him if he gets a couple of games break. At times, it really helps, ” said Pragyan Ojha
After David Warner was run out in the 12th over, the trio of Virat Singh, Abdul Samad, and Abhishekh Sharma failed to chip in with useful contributions. Vijay Shankar’s 28-ball 26 ended in vain as the all-rounder was not able to take the team past the finish line.
“No. 3, it is a very crucial position. He has to deliver. Match after match, the pressure mounts. People who are watching can make out that Manish Pandey is not delivering. At times, it is important that you take a backseat, take a couple of games break and then think about your game.”
“When you’re playing continuously and you’re not doing well, you might not know what is happening and what is not. You need to take a pause,” Ojha added.
Sunrisers Hyderabad missed the experience of Kane Williamson as the New Zealand captain has not yet completely recovered from an elbow injury. However, David Warner said on Saturday that the senior batsman is close to regaining full fitness. SRH will look to open their account in the new season when they take on Punjab Kings in Chennai on Wednesday.
Pragyan Ojha: Kedhar Jadhav Can Deliver Some Handy Off-Spin And Give Stability In The Batting
Kedar Jadhav had scored only 62 runs in 8 games for Chennai Super Kings at a modest average of 20.66 and a strike rate of 93.93 which is poor by T20 standards and he was released by CSK. Despite playing 87 IPL games, he has an average of only 22.82 and has only 4 fifties. He hasn’t bowled in IPL.
Adding that Sunrisers might benefit if they bring in former Chennai Super Kings player Kedar Jadhav, Ojha said: “You need someone like Kedar Jadhav. If you see that middle-order, it did not carry forward the hard work done by David Warner and Jonny Bairstow.”
“Maybe they can look in for Kedar Jadhav who can deliver because I think they have a few more games in Chennai. He can deliver some handy off-spin and give some stability in the batting,” he added.
In the players’ auction, Hyderabad acquired Kedar Jadhav, Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Jagadeesha Suchith to their ranks. The side had bowed out of IPL 2020 in Qualifier 2 last year after suffering a loss against Delhi Capitals. SRH also wanted to bolster their middle-order and so they bought Kedar Jadhav for INR 2 Crores.