Utility factor and A reason behind Krunal Pandya's rise
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It was 2015. Krunal Pandya was playing in the DY Patil T20 tournament in Mumbai when he received calls from two IPL scouts. One was Mumbai Indians’ Kiran More, under whom he trained in Vadodara, and the other Pravin Amre of Delhi Daredevils. Soon after, More told Rahul Sanghvi of Mumbai Indians to go for him at the auction. They roped him in for a sum of `2 crore.
Back then, Krunal had little to show on his CV as a cricketer. A player of repute in local circles where he would receive `250 for a T20 game, he had not even represented Baroda at the senior level. The world only knew of him as the brother of Hardik Pandya.
The left-handed all-rounder grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Since making IPL debut that season, the senior Pandya has grown from strength to strength and ticked all the boxes to be known as an utility player, who can make an impact especially in limited-over cricket with bat and ball. Though injuries meant he could only play few matches for Baroda, he was fast-tracked into the A team set-up, which only nurtured him.
“It helps you immensely,” Krunal said of his stint with India A. “In the last one-and-a-half years, we have played in all countries — South Africa, England and New Zealand — apart from a lot of matches in India. These experiences make your job easier in terms of preparation when you graduate to the next level. It is not like you are in new territory all of a sudden.”
An example of Krunal’s elaboration was on show during his India debut: the Kolkata T20I against West Indies last year. He conceded 10 runs in his first over; perhaps beginner’s nerves. But his next three overs of left-arm orthodox yielded only five, that too with the wicket of the big-hitting Kieron Pollard.
Apart from India A experiences, the 27-year-old’s run-ins with such situations in IPL have also steeled him. And Krunal acknowledges.
“Both have helped me mature as a cricketer. When you walk in, you know and understand the situation better. You know how the pitch is and how the oppositions are because we have played most of the national players with the A team. So that helps tremendously. Playing overseas, especially, helps you grow a lot.”
Krunal knows that his journey has only begun and he may have a bigger role to play after the World Cup. His performances with bat and ball have been more impressive as compared to the other all-rounders operating either in the domestic, IPL or India A circuit. Krunal can’t be labelled as either a batting or a bowling all-rounder, as his contributions haven’t been skewed towards one particular department.
“Being an all-rounder, you have to give equal importance to everything. Whenever I practice, I have drilled into my mind that when I go to the batting nets, I think of myself as a batsman, and when I pick up the ball, I think of myself as a bowler. That helps on the field too. It is important to have that sort of a mindset.”
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