Over nine thousand kilometres and 24 hours separated David Warner and Manish Pandey, but they achieved identical feats, and possibly even experienced identical emotions in the aftermath.
Warner scored a double century against South Africa in his 100th Test at the MCG on Tuesday. Pandey scored a double century against Goa in his 100th first-class game at the GCAA stadium in Porvorim on Wednesday.
The moment would have meant a lot to anyone, but given how much the two of them have endured, it would have felt far more satisfying.
The former Sunrisers Hyderabad team-mates, who will reunite in the upcoming Indian Premier League season with the Delhi Capitals, have been part of the rollercoaster ride for around the same time, and are now entering the late stages of their careers.
While Warner at 36 years old is going to get to the twilight zone a bit sooner, even Pandey, at 33, must be feeling the pinch of being ignored by the Indian team besides having to handle the humiliation of being sacked as Karnataka’s red-ball skipper last season.
“I saw David Warner’s double-century last night on YouTube and I was inspired. Very similar numbers there so just thought I’d go for it too,” said Pandey after the second day’s play.
Speaking about his emotional disposition after scoring his first double-century since the 2017-2018 season, Pandey opened up: “100 games is not a joke. It takes a lot of effort and it has come over a period of 14-15 years. It was quite good, quite emotional for me. Obviously, at this stage, it matters to me a lot.”
Pandey also insisted that his lack of consistency over the last couple of games played on his mind when he decided to go after Goa’s pedestrian bowling unit.
“I thought I had that opportunity in this game and the team-mates backed me up and my coaches backed me up, and they asked me to play my natural game and I did,” he said.
“I am an attacking batsman and that’s just what I do. I go after deliveries which are in my zone. Luckily, I like to play short balls and they kept on bowling short so I went through with my shots. I made the most of the opportunities.”
As for the team’s plan against Goa, Pandey conveyed the obvious. “The plan was to give our bowlers enough time to bowl the other team out twice. We were looking to get six points from this game so the more number of overs and more time we get against them, we can push for those six points.”