Manish Pandey- waste of time or crucial innings? Twitter divided as batsman plays run-a-ball innings in 1st T20

India set a target of 204 runs for the hosts in the first Twenty20 International at Wanderers.  Invited to bat, India scored 203 for five against with Shikhar Dhawan top-scoring for the visitors with his 72-run knock from just 39 balls. 

It is India's highest score against South Africa in T20Is.

However with Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan going all guns blazing India looked set for more. Even the experts though that India ended probably 20 runs short. And some fans on twitter blamed Manish Pandey's 29 runs off 27 balls for that.    

Manish Pandey Successfully restricted india from getting 230+

Kudos...!!#SAvsInd #Manish
#RohitSharma

— Intelligent Dad (@QuotesFactsFee2) February 18, 2018

Timid @im_manishpandey needs lessons in bravado from Chulbul Pandey. Below par innings, killed the momentum.

— MJ (@chdtownRoadie) February 18, 2018

Drop Manish Pandey plz! Bring back KL Rahul. #INDvSA @BCCI

— gandhiraja (@mgandhiraja5566) February 18, 2018

Well I guess #viru paji score runs with much better strike rate in test match then the manish pandey in T20’s #INDvSA

— Kunal Bhatnagar (@kbhatnagar17KB) February 18, 2018

@im_manishpandey is over rated player and he is not fit for T20 games. India is surely 20 runs lesser due to him or else we could have scored 220+ easily. He didn't connect well even the one ball. Keep him out of remaining T20s

— SRIVIGNESH N B (@NSrivignesh) February 18, 2018

Watching Manish Pandey battling was like:

Boooooooooooooooooooooring.#INDvSA pic.twitter.com/W8e3bHjs73

— Divya (@MeriGun) February 18, 2018

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India is 15 runs short may be because of Manish Pandey's 29 runs of 27 balls he played.

— Amit Raina (@mailamitraina) February 18, 2018

However, some Twitter users disagreed. While some users argued that Manish Pandey played a crucial innings which held the Indian middle order together, some said that it was unfair to expect players like him to just come and start playing after being kept out of team for the whole tour.

Admit it or die
Manish Pandey 's crucial inning helped India to post 200+ target.#INDvsSA

— Arddhendu (@hota_ard) February 18, 2018

Can't blame Manish Pandey for the poor strike rate , this is his first match on the south African surface in this tour..he was warming the bench for the whole series!

— Chinmay Kelkar (@ChinmayKelkar11) February 18, 2018

@im_manishpandey given chance on the Edge of sword... He will play like this obviously. If got out will not be given any other chance.
Because he is not #Hardik and he will get as many chances as hardik even on failing infinite times.

— Virender Rajput (@RajputVirender) February 18, 2018

Because of uncertainity in the current team, there is an extra added pressure on players like Manish Pandey, Iyer, DK. This is what happens when you keep on changing the squad every match. Give them a long run or send them home. #SAvIND

— Chandra Verma (@chandravvv) February 18, 2018