IPL 13: Just wanted to stay at wicket and play my shots, says Pandey

Dubai [UAE], October 22 (ANI): After registering an emphatic eight-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals, SunRisers Hyderabad batsman Manish Pandey on Thursday said that he just wanted to stay at the wicket and play his shots.
SunRisers Hyderabad chased down the total of 155 with eight wickets in hand and 11 balls to spare. Manish Pandey and Vijay Shankar played unbeaten knocks of 83 and 52 respectively to take their team over the line. For this effort, Pandey was also adjudged as the 'Man of the Match'.
With this win, SunRisers Hyderabad has moved to the fifth place in the points table with eight points while Rajasthan Royals has gone down to the seventh place with eight points.
"High time for the top 3 to perform. I just wanted to stay on the wicket and play my shots. Really happy that it came off today. We had the opportunity to win the game for SRH, really happy I'm standing here. We had plans to see Jofra off," Pandey told host broadcaster Star Sports at the post-match presentation.
Archer had dismissed David Warner (4) and Jonny Bairstow (10) but Pandey and Shankar ensured that SunRisers Hyderabad does not lose wickets in a cluster.
"We had a plan to take on the leggies and Indian bowlers, and it paid off. The first ball I middled through covers and I tried to keep my shape. I was hitting it well and I tried to get my team over the line. Vijay was also long due and he stepped up batting at 4. We are trying to take positives from this match and we'll try to keep it up for the rest of the tournament," said Pandey.
Earlier, Jason Holder's three-wicket haul helped SunRisers Hyderabad restrict Rajasthan Royals to 154/6 in the allotted twenty overs.
Sanju Samson and Ben Stokes played knocks of 36 and 30 respectively but the Royals kept on losing wickets at regular intervals and as a result, the side was restricted to under 160-run mark.
SunRisers Hyderabad will next take on Kings XI Punjab on Saturday, October 24 at the Dubai International Stadium. (ANI)