ViruRulez Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 "Well played, Manish. But just make sure you keep your feet on the ground," VB Chandrasekhar, Chennai's director of cricket operations, says to the man who was instrumental in knocking Chennai out of the tournament. It is the morning after the semi-final and we are standing in the corridor outside Manish Pandey's hotel room. He looks at his feet and smiles at VB. "Yes sir, I will definitely." He tells me that it's advice he constantly gets. "Everybody I meet keeps telling me that. And I realise the importance. There have been so many people who have performed when young and go to a different level in terms of attitude that people don't like. That's true. I want to remain grounded." It's not going to be easy. When you are a young, successful cricketer in India, it brings with it a whole different lifestyle and temptations. Many before Manish have faltered. "Money for nothing and chicks for free," I say, and he smiles. "Dad always talks about it. 'When you play higher level, you get more money, but please never play for money.' I always have that in mind. I just want to keep bettering my performance and enjoying my cricket. Money toh aata rahta hai... sar pe kuch nahi chadha hai abhi [The money comes. Nothing has gone to my head so far]," he says laughing. "It feels good when people talk about your talent. I realise only if and when I bat well, they will say good things." Perhaps his background will help. His father's army job has taken him around the country, and opened him up to various cultures and lifestyles. He studied at the Kendriya Vidyalaya, an unglamorous institution, one that has students from all walks of life. I tell him how I studied at KV too. "Arre, wah bhai! Super school, na? The fee used to be Rs 5, then it went to 45," he remembers. "The army upbringing and the school background, I think, will help me stay grounded." Whether he will, only time will tell but his awareness of the need to do so is a positive sign. "Whatever I earn, I give it to my mom and dad. If I want some money, I ask them," he says. As the money pours in, so will new friends. The nightlife is going to get hectic. He laughs again. "It depends on my mood. Sometimes I like to party - and I enjoy it - sometimes I just like to stay in the room." Like most teenagers, he spends time on Orkut, Facebook, and hanging out with friends. Unlike some, there is no friction with his parents. "I am very close to them. The first person I called after scoring the hundred was my mom, then my dad. Mom was very happy and said she was getting so many calls that she had to switch off the phone." If he continues in this fashion, she will have to get used to it. The journey started when he was three. Manish has an old photograph in which he is batting with a plastic bat in his house. "From then, Dad wanted me to play cricket. Personally, when I was nine years, I knew I wanted to play cricket for life". Nine? When I was nine, all I wanted was to travel in an autorickshaw and not have to walk everywhere. I ask him again. Nine years? "Yes. I used to play in Syed Kirmani's academy in Bangalore, and hit a hundred against a team from Mysore in 40 balls. From then on, I decided to play cricket for ever." His father's job kept taking him everywhere. Nasik, where his cricket flourished for four years in leagues, and to Rajasthan, where he played very little while he was in class 10. "We were in a small place, Suratgarh, for one-and-a-half years, where I didn't get to play much cricket." Luckily his father was transferred back to Bangalore, where cricket came back to the fore again. KSCA trials. Under-17. Three hundreds in a tournament. A smooth transition to Under-19. Now the IPL. Has he had any difficult phases at all? "The first year in Under-17. Nothing was going right. I remember a stretch of 10 games where no runs came. I used to keep thinking how to get out of it. Luckily soon the 40s and 50s started coming and things progressed." So much so that the boy became a bully and started to sledge the bowlers and the close-in fielders in his Under-19 days. "The non-striker used to come and say, 'Kitna sledge karega… batting kar!' [How much will you sledge? Do some batting]. To spinners I would say stuff like. 'Ah, aa raha hai hawa mein' [Ah, nice and flighted] and then I would go down and hit it. I would give a tough time to the short legs." His confidence has grown after his stint in the IPL. Conversations with Sachin Tendulkar (when he was in the Mumbai team last year), Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble have helped. "It's not any particular bit of advice from them, but just the attitude and the commitment and how they play the game that has attracted me." The road ahead is a long and tough one, but he seems determined to make it an enjoyable journey. "Yes, this IPL has gone well but I have to go back and do well in domestic cricket. I have to be consistent and put up the runs now. That will automatically create chances for me later." Muttiah Muralitharan, who bowled to him last evening, points to the likely speedbreakers. "Yes, he played really well but one has to wait. Twenty20 is a completely different form of cricket. It will come down to whether he has a good defence and a good head on his shoulders." Does he? As Murali says, we have to just wait and see. VB ChandraSekhar says Manish not to fly high with chicks and money :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vvvslaxman Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 http://content.cricinfo.com/ipl2009/content/story/406234.html Indian Premier League 2009 Manish Pandey says he's indebted to Dravid Cricinfo staff May 27, 2009 Manish Pandey, the Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman who became the first Indian to make a century in the IPL, has thanked his state and IPL team-mate Rahul Dravid for inspiring him. "I always look up to him as a cricketer," Pandey said on returning from South Africa. "Dravid really motivated me on and off the field ... I'm really indebted to him. "I was fortunate to bat with him (Dravid) in the semi-final against Chennai Super Kings ... I grew up watching him and Sachin Tendulkar so I feel lucky to have played with them." The 19-year-old Pandey shot into the limelight after making 114 against Deccan Chargers in the final league game before top-scoring with a composed 48 against Chennai Super Kings in the semi-final, both performances fetching him Man-of-the-Match awards. "I am more confident now," Pandey, who had had few opportunities in the tournament before the game against Deccan, said. "The IPL is a big stage and the performance will surely help me go further. It's a turning point in my career." He was also looking forward to a strong showing in the inaugural Champions League in October. Pandey was a member of India's Under-19 World Cup-winning side of 2008, after which he made his first-class debut for Karnataka. He made two half-centuries in the season but his performances were below par, fetching him 193 runs at 27.57 in the Ranji Trophy. "The longer version of cricket tests your cricketing ability," he said. "You have to be very patient and I am looking forward to prove myself there in the upcoming domestic season." © Cricinfo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fineleg Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Pandey was a member of India's Under-19 World Cup-winning side of 2008, after which he made his first-class debut for Karnataka. He made two half-centuries in the season but his performances were below par, fetching him 193 runs at 27.57 in the Ranji Trophy. "The longer version of cricket tests your cricketing ability," he said. "You have to be very patient and I am looking forward to prove myself there in the upcoming domestic season." © Cricinfo It does.But thanks to Modi and other boards now wanting their piece of T20 $ and 'action', you may not get that many Tests even scheduled Manish :(( Anyway good to see his respect for Tests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fineleg Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 ; Talk less, say more. Huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffee_rules Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 It does.But thanks to Modi and other boards now wanting their piece of T20 $ and 'action', you may not get that many Tests even scheduled Manish :(( Anyway good to see his respect for Tests. This is becoming like *****ing about Chess being less popular than bull fighting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ViruRulez Posted May 27, 2009 Author Share Posted May 27, 2009 This is becoming like *****ing about Chess being less popular than bull fighting. :haha::haha::haha: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts