Inconsistent Manish Pandey

The success of Bangalore’s top order has been one of the key reasons for their good performance this season, but while Jacques Kallis has been amazingly consistent, Manish Pandey, his opening partner in most matches, has struggled every time Bangalore have batted first. Here’s a comparison of the two openers when Bangalore have batted first and when they have chased:

On the four occasions when Bangalore have batted first, Pandey has made 0 (7 balls), 20 (28 balls), 5 (7 balls) and 1 (6 balls). Batting second, Pandey has been the epitome of consistency, with a lowest score of 29 and a highest of 42 in five innings. It speaks highly of his ability to handle the pressures of a chase, but it also suggests he's a little lost when he doesn't have a target in front of him. Kallis, on the other hand, has exactly the same strike rate when batting first and second - you can't get more consistent than that!

Bangalore’s starts have been a major reason why they’ve been so successful chasing – five of their six wins have come batting second. For their opponents, putting Bangalore in to bat is clearly the way to go – of the four times Bangalore have batted first, they’ve won only once.