Team India all-rounder Krunal Pandya recently made his white-ball cricket debut when India locked horns with England in the first game of the ongoing ODI series. He contributed with both bat and ball to help men in blues take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series comfortably.
The debut match was not easy for the left-handed batsman who lost his father earlier this year. He was seen getting emotional; however, put up a brave show in his first outing in 50-overs international cricket. Alongside KL Rahul he was involved in the unbeaten century partnership to help team India reached 317 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in their allotted 50 overs. The total, in the end, proved to be enough as England fell short by 66 runs.
A plethora of emotions flowed from one end to the other throughout the whole match. Reflecting on the same during a chat with his brother Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya revealed that he was carrying his father’s bag inside the dressing room to keep him with them during this auspicious occasion.
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“I have not been working thinking about the results, lately my focus has been on how can I be the best version of myself and how I can improve as a human being. The only constant focus is on how I can myself the best possible opportunity. This is the result that I have got, there is a lot of hard work that has gone behind it.
Blessings are there, I feel more secure. Our father passed away on the 16th morning, I was playing the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Our father had a habit of keeping everything ready, his shoes, his pant, and his hat. Before this game, I got my dad’s bag here, I know he is not with us, I thought I’ll bring his bag and keep it with us in the dressing room,” Krunal Pandya told Hardik in a video posted by the BCCI.
💬 Our father was with us in dressing room: Pandya brothers @hardikpandya7 interviews @krunalpandya24 post his emotional knock on ODI debut. This has all our heart 💙- By @RajalArora #TeamIndia #INDvENG @Paytm
Watch the full interview 🎥 👇https://t.co/yoDGXVi2aK pic.twitter.com/4JrsxtejgC
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 24, 2021
This ODI match and maiden cap all belong to my dad – Krunal Pandya
Krunal Pandya made his ODI debut after receiving the ODI cap from his bother Hardik Pandya and got a bit emotional. Reflecting on the same, the all-rounder from Baroda said that all these things belong to him as he has put all the hard work to see them in this position.
“This is all dedicated to the old man, his blessings are there with us, and obviously it was very emotional – for you and me, both of us – and again, getting the cap from you, and I guess somewhere down the line, up there, he must be having a good night today and enjoying the way I batted. So yeah, this is for him,” he added.
