VIDEO | “One-handed” Manish Pandey plucks ball out of thin air to send David Warner packing

“If he doesn’t get you some quickfire runs, then he will show his skills on the field” - Well, for a certain man from Ranchi, this held true for the majority of his career with MS Dhoni’s incredible stumpings becoming a forever part of cricketing folklore. While the doubt regarding MS Dhoni’s international career is at an all-time high, Manish Pandey literally made the statement his own on the field. 

After being included in the side as a Rishabh Pant replacement, Pandey failed to live up to the expectations with the bat, scoring only two runs, but that tells only half a story about his effectiveness. On the third ball of the 4th over, Mohammed Shami gave enough width to the delivery which was there to be driven handsomely. However, Warner made a mistake of hitting the ball close to his body, meaning it took the aerial route through point. In normal situations, it was a shot traversing its path to the boundary but in Manish Pandey’s world, theory hardly works. 

Pandey made a jump in the air, albeit a small one, but his right hand was extended perfectly to block the ball’s trajectory to ensure that it had been blocked on its path. Pandey easily gobbled that up, leaving David Warner in sheer disbelief. A catch that brought joy for the Indian team, for it was their first wicket of the series.