Manish Pandey. (TOI Photo)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Manish Pandey 's name caught the fancy of Indian cricket aficionados when he became the first Indian to score a century in Indian Premier League way back in 2009.

But it took Pandey six more years to break into the national squad. He was picked for the Indian ODI team touring Zimbabwe post the 2015 World Cup in Australia when the selectors started their search for a solid middle-order batsman.

He started off with a fluent 71 in his maiden ODI innings in Harare. A year later, in the final match of the ODI series between India and Australia, Pandey smashed a scintillating 81-ball unbeaten 104 to steer India to a famous six-wicket win. That knock in Sydney prompted many in Indian cricket to believe that Pandey was the solution to the middle-order woes.

But then came the downturn. Lack of consistency and injuries meant that Pandey kept going in and out of the national squad in the last three years. Though Pandey was in the scheme of things initially for the middle-order slot for the World Cup in England, his run of low scores meant that he soon fell out of favour with the selectors.

After India's semifinal exit at the World Cup, the selectors are yet again on a mission to find a suitable middle-order batsman for the shorter formats. And much like the scenario that played out four years ago, Pandey finds himself in in the race for the middle-order slot once again. He was picked in both the T20 and ODI squads for West Indies last month. He featured in all three T20s in the Caribbean but had modest returns of 19, 6 and 2 not out before making way for Shreyas Iyer in the middle-order for the ODI series.

But Pandey hopes that at least this time around he is given a longer rope and gets to showcase his true potential on the international stage. "I was thinking about it (on earning maiden call-up to Indian squad in 2015) when they picked me for the West Indies series. The consistency in performance (lack of it) was one of the factors that let me down in the previous years. Sitting out is not an easy thing for a batsman or a bowler. I am hoping to get more chances this time around. There should a feeling of comfort while playing at the No. 4 or No. 5 slot or wherever they want to me play. So it does help if you are a permanent member of the team and the plan (roadmap) is laid out before you," said Pandey, who is captaining the India 'A' side in the first three one-dayers against South Africa 'A'.

But Pandey admitted that there is stiff competition for the middle-order slots in the senior Indian team. "Everybody is looking to grab spots in the Indian team. The important thing for me is to be patient and keep performing in whatever opportunities I get," added Pandey.

The 29-year-old says working with Rahul Dravid , who is now the Head of Cricket at NCA in Bengaluru, has helped him improve his game. "I have looked up to Rahul bhai while growing up. Luckily, with him being from Karnataka, it gives me that much more opportunity to talk to him when I meet him at NCA. What I talk to him more is about the mind-set part of it. He has been absolutely fantastic not just for me but everyone who has worked with him," said Pandey.

