He might have made it to the Mumbai Indians on a draw of lots for the under-19 World Cup-winning batch last year, but Manish Pandey hit the jackpot on Thursday evening. It took 115 matches for an Indian to reach three-figures in the Indian Premier League’s brief history; that it came off the slashing blade of a baby-faced 19-year-old was the bigger surprise.

Pandey smashed an unbeaten 73-ball 114 against the Deccan Chargers at the SuperSport Park in Centurion on Thursday evening, only the second batsman after AB de Villiers to hit three-figures in this edition, to set up a 12-run win and a semi-final meeting against Chennai Super Kings on Saturday night. With this knock, he might also have bid farewell to the life of anonymity that fringe players are destined to.

“I got my chance to open the innings and I’m glad I took it,” said Pandey. “The important game is on Saturday and I’m looking forward to that.”

Pandey spent most of last season on the Mumbai bench, and seemed destined for more of the same despite making a switch to Bangalore. But he made the most of his second innings in this edition, and of the reprieve he got thanks to a dropped catch with his score on two. Using his natural bat-speed, the slightly built batsman clobbered four sixes and ten boundaries, and stuttered only briefly in the 90s.

“A brilliant hundred,” skipper Anil Kumble gushed. “He didn’t get too many opportunities before, and he really grabbed his chance.”

... contd.