SRH coach Tom Moody backs Manish Pandey despite inconsistent performances

The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) team has performed commendably well in their recent games and thus occupy the top spot on the points table. At the halfway stage in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018, the Sunrisers have won 6 out of their 8 matches with a healthy net run-rate, which make their qualification for the playoffs almost certain.

The major factor that has helped the team bag convincing wins despite scoring modest totals is their extremely consistent bowling unit. Each of their bowlers has made a significant contribution and the combined effort has trumped every the best of opponents. However, their most expensive buy this season, Manish Pandey has failed to deliver the match-winning knocks that were expected of him and it is gradually starting to become a worry for the franchise.

He has got much more than the others in middle-order

Pandey has not looked at ease and isn’t playing his natural game thus struggling to get runs. Despite scoring two half-centuries, he has largely looked out of his comfort zone and his inconsistency in the middle order is a reason Hyderabad haven’t managed to post the big runs. However, the team head coach Tom Moody stated that the Karnataka batsman has performed a lot better than the other guys in the middle-order.

“Firstly, he has got two half centuries and it is probably a lot more than what other people in the middle-order have got in the tournament. Secondly, we have got to recognize the surfaces that we have been playing on,” Moody said ahead of their encounter against DD.

Pandey is a match-winner for us both with the bat and in the field

The team management is quite pleased with this returns in the season so far. He reckons that the middle-order batsman is definitely a match-winner for the team given his all-round abilities both with the bat and in the field.

“We are really pleased with the way Manish is going. He has fitted into the team exceptionally well and we know that he’s a match winner. Not only with the bat, he’s a match winner on the field as well,” Moody concluded.

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