Manish Pandey turns the clock back

Former skipper slams double ton as Karnataka dominate

Every decrepit building surrounding the weather-worn GCAA stadium in Porvorim contributed to echoing the sounds of Manish Pandey’s bat.

Unexaggerated, it was as consistent and as deafening as the roll of thunder: a sound so intimidating that Goa bowled with just one fielder inside the 30-yard circle for significant portions of the second day’s play.

And yet, they witnessed Pandey bend the rules of batting with his uncompromising unorthodoxy, registering his fifth first-class double-century and the first one since the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy season. Not a bad way to celebrate his 100th first-class game!

Aware of the significance, Pandey exchanged pleasantries with non-striker Shubhang Hedge (39) as a matter of routine before walking towards square-leg with the bat held to his face.

Perhaps, he felt the magnitude of his vacillating journey since his first-class debut in 2008, and it manifested in him up tearing up before using his full sleeves to dry off.

He then slipped his helmet on, returned to the crease and proceeded to pull Lakshay A Garg the exact same way he did to get to the double-ton a ball prior - a charge down the track followed by a slap through midwicket.

By the time his pyrotechnics reached the point of absurd, Karnataka declared on 603 for 7 in 148.2 overs. Pandey remained unbeaten on 208 from 186 balls with 14 boundaries and 11 sixes.

In that, Goa got a good hard look at where they stand against an Elite side. Lest we forget, this isn’t even that impressive a Karnataka side.

In the case of Goa, they came away with admirable draws against Rajasthan and Jharkhand in their last two games. This time they were forced to confront their worst fears.

With a bowling unit so blunt, fielding acumen so pedestrian and energy levels perpetually on reserve, Goa couldn’t have dreamed of keeping Karnataka in check. But they could have at least shown competence through sharp field placements, especially against an inexplicably defensive Shubhang.

This absent-minded meandering lulled Goa into making quite a few school-boy errors, including the time substitute Deepraj Gaonkar dropped Pandey on 100 at fine-leg and pushed the ball over the fence.

Even the wickets Goa picked on the day, most notably that of Vishal Onat (91), was more the case of the Karnataka’s batters losing shape rather than the hosts’ bowlers doing the job they are in the side for.

In fact, Sumiran Amonkar’s unbeaten stay which carried Goa to 45 for 1 at stumps was the most professional they have looked in the last couple of days.

And still, despite the quality of the opposition, Pandey’s knock deserves credit for he ended the opening day unbeaten on 8, and scored exactly 200 more runs in little over two sessions on the second day.

If that doesn’t convey just how good a domestic batter he is, let the fact that he has 23 centuries and 29 half-centuries sink in because few have the temperament for such a conversion rate.