'Want to continue the good work'

As an overcast morning gave way to a hot and humid afternoon, Pawan turned the tables around Rajasthan with a timely unbeaten century (121) that neutralised the early loss of Uthappa and Ganesh Satish for an insignificant total. The right-hander’s fifth first-class ton couldn’t have come at a more opportune time both from team’s and personal point of view.
At 45 for two, Karnataka, after being asked to bat first, weren’t exactly staring at the barrel but the situation warranted someone to put his hand up and be counted.

“I really worked hard for this innings and gave everything I needed to,” noted Pawan after what was a satisfying day for him in the office. “The ball was swinging both ways in the morning and our plan was to wait for the sun to come out so that the pitch eases out a bit.
Once that happened, it wasn’t difficult to score runs,” he remarked.

Having endured a rather forgettable season the previous time, the 23-year-old said he was determined to set things right. “Yes, it was a very disappointing season for me the last time around. I didn’t score a single century and I am really happy that I have begun this season with a ton. Right now I am not thinking of anything, I just want to continue the good work.”

Pawan also credited Manish Pandey for taking the pressure off him with a quickfire innings. “The runs were hard to come by early in the day and the knock he played then was really wonderful. Yes, it did take the pressure off me to a great extent and helped me get a look in,” he pointed out.

The Mysorean revealed he made slight change to his stance during off-season. “I can’t say it (the changed stance) had really worked because it’s just one innings. Let’s see how the season goes. But I also worked a on the mental side of my game and hopefully that’s working for me.”