Waiting for chances can play on your mind: Manish Pandey

Centurion, February 22: Indian batsman Manish Pandey said he has endured a tough time waiting for his sporadic chances, asserting that he has what it takes to be a regular pick in the middle order if given a longer rope.

Pandey, who scored 79 not out off 48 balls in the second T20 International here which South Africa won by six wickets to level the three-match series 1-1, has been at best an irregular selection even though he has made most of his chances count with fine knocks, including a hundred in his first one-dayer on Australian soil.

"Honestly, its a little tough (waiting for chances) and it works on your mind a lot. Especially on this tour, I have felt it a lot actually but that is what cricket is all about. You have to wait for your chances to play for a team like India where you have so many stars and legend after legend (in the team). So I am trying my bit there," he said.

"I have got a few chances at number four and I have delivered. So the batting combination some times pushed me down to number five. I have tried my bit (at number five), but I also feel that I could probably do a little bit more with myself," he said.

But he does understand the enormity of the task at hand even though Pandey has the belief that with a more consistent run in the side, he can prove himself worthy of regular selection.

"...India has a really good top-order line-up and they bat out nearly 30-35 overs in ODIs with guys like Virat (Kohli) and then MS Dhoni comes ahead of me (at times). So yeah, with some more chances, I feel I can deliver a lot more than what I am doing right now," said Pandey.