Disappointed Manish Pandey targetting return with West Indies tour – ‘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 be take me couple of weeks to be fully fit,’ says the stylish batsman.
Manish Pandey (Getty Images – File Photo)
A “disappointed” Manish Pandey is targetting a return to the Indian team in the ODI series against the West Indies later this month after a muscle tear robbed him of the opportunity to feature in his maiden Champions Trophy.
“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,” said Pandey. “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 be take me couple of weeks to be fully fit,” said the stylish batsman.
Pandey suffered the injury during a practice session ahead of Kolkata Knight Riders’ Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL last month. It remains to be seen whether the selectors will send a full strength squad to the Caribbean or give an opportunity to the youngsters.
The 27-year-old Pandey has got opportunities but has not been able to cement a place in the limited overs set-up, having represented India in 12 ODIs and eight T20 Internationals. Dinesh Karthik replaced him in the Champions Trophy squad and was impressive in the warm-up against Bangladesh.
India play five ODIs and a T20 International in the West Indies with the series-opener to be played at Queen’s Park Oval on June 23, five days after the Champions Trophy final in England. The West Indies, who were in the top-8 of the rankings by the cut-off date, did not qualify for the ongoing ICC event.
