Published 11:26 IST, December 2nd 2020
India vs Australia 3rd ODI: Manish Pandey's exclusion baffles Indian fans on Twitter
Manish Pandey missed out yet again for the Indian cricket team as the Men in Blue took the field for the India vs Australia 3rd ODI in Canberra on Wednesday.
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Manish Pandey missed out on a place in the Indian cricket team as the Men in Blue took the field for the India vs Australia 3rd ODI on Wednesday. The Virat Kohli-led Indian cricket team have already lost 2 ODIs against the mighty Australians Down Under. One of the main reasons for the same according to many fans and pundits is Virat Kohli's men lacking a 6th bowling option as the pace bowling lineup conceded over 350 runs in both the games.
With the Indians losing both the matches, the Indian team management decided to make changes in playing 11 for the final ODI match. Ravi Shastri, the head coach of the Indian team, decided to hand T Natarajan his ODI debut at Canberra while Kuldeep Yadav and Shardul Thakur came in for Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini and Mohammed Shami.
India make 4 changes: Kuldeep, Natrajan, Shubhman and Shardul in for Shami, Saini, Chahal and Mayank #IndvsAus
— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) December 2, 2020
Shubman Gill was also asked to open the batting as he replaced Mayank Agarwal and partnered with Shikhar Dhawan. However, the curious case of Manish Pandey’s selection has made a certain section of Indian fans question the team's decision.
The curious case of Manish Pandey
Manish Pandey, who made his debut with the Indian cricket team back in 2015, has often been a part of the national team setup. However, it has often been noticed that the 31-year-old is seen warming the bench and not given many opportunities. It is pretty evident as the right-handed batsman has played just over 25 matches for the Indian team despite making his debut 5 years ago. Fans took to social media platform Twitter and vented their frustration on the player's inclusion so far in the India vs Australia 2020 series.
▪️Mayank Agarwal, in the current series:
— Harish S Itagi (@HarishSItagi) December 2, 2020
1st ODI - 22
2nd ODI - 28
▪️Shreyas Iyer, in the current series:
1st ODI - 2
2nd ODI - 38
▪️Manish Pandey, yet to play a game.
Mayank Agarwal gets dropped and it's Manish Pandey who misses out. #AUSvsIND
In 2016 - 5th ODI
— Legacy ™ (@Legacy_Daark) December 2, 2020
Rohit Sharma - 99
Shikar Dhawan - 78
Manish Pandey - 104*
Saved India from White Wash in Australia.
Manish Pandey in Playing XI pls. @imVkohli #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/JOewxoCwr1
Manish Pandey should be given chance in place of Iyer #INDvsAUS
— DreamLeague (@fantasy11vicky) December 2, 2020
I just wish that nobody else gets treated like @im_manishpandey by the @BCCI.
— Abhishekds (@Abhishekds94) December 2, 2020
Gets selected in the squad for each and every series but gets neglected from the playing 11.
He will be back with a bang, remember the name - Manish Pandey!#indvsaus2020
How many matches has Manish Pandey sat out in the last two years? #AUSvsIND
— Nitin Naik (@toi_nitinnayak) December 2, 2020
India vs Australia live: Australia dominate 3rd ODI again
The ongoing India vs Australia 3rd ODI can be watched live on the Sony Sports Network. After winning the toss, Virat Kohli opted to bat in Canberra. While the Indian team will be looking for a consolidating win, chances of the same look bleak. With half of India’s innings coming to an end, the Indian team has managed to score just over 120 runs in their 25 overs. On a ground that has seen first innings score cross 350 quite often, the Indian cricket team would have been in a more comfortable position with an additional 30 runs to their name.
11:26 IST, December 2nd 2020