Indian Premier League 2021
IPL 2021: SRH vs KKR: Manish Pandey's catch is the Play of the day
The catch sent back Andre Russell and helped arrest KKR’s charge.
With remarkable athleticism and precision, Manish Pandey pulled off a stunning catch (Source: iplt20.com)
In T20 cricket and the IPL in particular, the batsmen hogs all the limelight.
While brandishing the willow akin to a Samurai wielding his sword, the batsmen are ruthless on the bowlers in this shortest format of the game.
Every now and then though, the bowler gets the better of the duel.
But the fielder is completely forgotten in this battle between bat and ball.
Manish Pandey, however, brought the focus back on the importance of fielding with a blink-and-you-miss catch in the outfield.
A stellar catch to send back a game-changer
Batting first after losing the toss to Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders were cruising at 157/2.
Nitish Rana was firing on all cylinders and Rahul Tripathi has just departed after a splendid 53 (29).
The stage was now set for the big Andre Russell to step up and do what he does best – cart the ball long and high.
The onus was now on Rashid Khan to come up with something to flummox the West Indian all-rounder. The Afghanistan spinner sent in a fast leg-spinner, which Russell duly pummelled down the ground.
The ball had four written all over it.
Manish Pandey, however, had other ideas.
Positioned at a slightly wide long-on, the Karnataka batsman, was off the blocks in a flash - akin to an Olympic sprinter.
Like a cheetah having spotted its prey, he darted to his left, sized up the trajectory of the ball and then timed a dive to perfection.
With his palms cupping the ball and a neat roll to finish the move, Pandey had made light work of what was otherwise a tricky catch.
That he made it look easy can be attributed to his athleticism and skill as a fielder.
And the catch itself was worth its weight in gold.
Sending the dangerous Russell was vital for Hyderabad to restrict Kolkata and Manish Pandey had done just that.
In the 22-balls following that Russel dismissal, Kolkata added just 30-more runs.
Such was the impact of that brilliant catch.
And for that reason, Manish Pandey's catch to send back Andre Russell is our Play of the day.
Watch the Manish Pandey catch here on iplt20.com.
(With inputs from iplt20.com)
