 Pandey made his debut in the Pepsi Cup in 1998–99, but he had a much longer association with the game, having played from 1989.He had been playing steadily for Uttar Pradesh's Ranji Trophy team, but only began to make his mark around 1996–97 where two consecutive seasons having scored more than 400 runs brought him into national reckoning.Pandey retired from first-class cricket in 2006.