Krunal Pandya – The other Pandya who is equally promising 

All-rounders have always been much sought after entities in world cricket, and all the more in Indian cricket. The world has gone gaga after the emergence of Hardik Pandya on to the international circuit in 2016, and rightly so.

Hardik has tick-marked all the boxes required to make it to at the highest level as an all-rounder, the kind India had been searching since long. Amidst all this, there was a senior Pandya, silently waiting in the wings for his moment to come. Yes, we are talking about Krunal Pandya, the batting all-rounder who plies his trade for Baroda and the Mumbai Indians.

HOW THE FORTUNES CHANGED?

Krunal hogged the limelight in his first stint itself with the Mumbai Indians in 2016, bagging a contract worth 2 crores, and has now carved a niche for himself as a limited-overs specialist. The franchise lapped him up for 8.8 crores via the RTM card in 2018, making him the costliest uncapped player in history.

The selectors kept him in the fray by picking him for India A on the tour to England, and later in the home quadrangular series featuring India B, South Africa A, and Australia A. Most recently, he represented India A in the Deodhar Trophy.

His selection for the Mumbai Indians came on the back of some consistent List A performances in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali tournaments in the 2015-16 season.

He struck 11-ball 20 on his Mumbai Indians debut against the Gujarat Lions, and returned with match figures of 1/20 off his 4 overs. He had probably done enough to keep his place in the side for the next few matches.

In the very next match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, he hammered a 28-ball 49 to take his side to a fighting total, though he could do very little to avoid the defeat. His next outing against the Royal Challengers Bangalore was even better, where he accounted for the wickets of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in the same over. A true-blue all-rounder with extremely high potential had been unearthed from the Indian domestic scene.

One simply can’t forget him smacking Zaheer Khan over the ropes en route to a 37-ball 86 with six magnificent sixes. His electric fielding remained his X-factor right through the debut season.

A 38-ball 47 in the low-scoring 2017 IPL final against the Rising Pune Supergiant brought out the big-match performer in him. That ultimately earned him the Man of the Finals award.

It is, in fact, a little sad that his first-class record stands at just an appearance of one match during which he suffered a quadriceps injury while fielding in 2016.

MATURING WITH THE GAME

It is safe to say that the stylish southpaw has evolved in terms of his game. While has was selected as a replacement for the injured Washington Sundar for the T20 series against England, Krunal has presented a strong case for himself this time that led to his selection for the tour Down Under.

His consistent IPL performances and the ability to chip in with both bat and ball in India A’s limited-overs tour to England have been taken into account. Though the series was ruled mostly by the batsmen, Krunal made sure to chip in with a wicket or two whenever he had the ball in his hand.

The seaming and swinging conditions in England were not completely conducive to spin, but he kept his basics right with the ball.

THE NUMBER STORY

In an IPL career spanning 39 matches, he has scored 708 runs with a staggering strike rate of 153.91. The wicket column boasts of 28 wickets at an economy rate of 7.12, something really good considering he bowls in the middle and death overs, often considered to be a dirty job in theT20s.

THE TOUGH AUSSIE TEST

The tour is going to be his debut tour and the reasons for his selection are crystal clear. His all-round abilities are a major skill set for conditions like in Australia. The pitches offer bounce, and his left-arm spin with nagging accuracy can prove to be a vital weapon. Also, seeing Australia’s vulnerability to spin these days, a wily bowler like him is expected to reap rich dividends.

As a batsman, he likes the bowl coming on to the bat and the pitches being fast enough as compared to the subcontinent, he can prove to be a handy contributor down the order.

Can Krunal Pandya spin enough magic to press his claim for the ODI spot? Maybe. Is it possible for him to be a T20 regular? Not sure. Lots of questions on the plate at the moment, but it would only be fair on letting him enjoy his moment when he steps on to the field in an India jersey.