Mumbai: From the depths of despair to the swanky and garish, Krunal Pandya made it in life through sheer hard work. About being the less gifted cricketer at home? He would have faced inner conflicts from time to time.
Circumstances shape you. Never having it easy, the older Pandya sibling made it a habit of problem-solving while growing up. It’s a trait he has carried to the field of play. There’s no other way. An orthodox left-arm spinner, lacking the grace of a typical left-hander or possessing power with the bat, continues to find ways to thrive.
In a batting line-up comprising Virat Kohli, Jacob Bethell, Devdutt Padikkal and Rajat Patidar, Krunal played the match-winning innings—73 (46b, 4×4, 5×6) against Mumbai Indians on Sunday to propel RCB to the top of the IPL points table.
Kohli comes with eternal appeal. Bethell and Padikkal are touted as future stars. Patidar the batter looks like a million bucks when on song. Krunal though does it with steel. On occasions such as these, when the unsung turns the hero, the value of a value buy is fully realised.
Krunal was an integral part of three of MI’s title-winning campaigns—one among Nos. 5-6-7, (Hardik) Pandya-Pollard-Pandya—the “engine room” as Krunal recalled his days in blue, post-match in Raipur. When it was time for a new auction cycle, Krunal knew he was the most dispensable. It takes all sorts to win T20 contests, something the RCB thinktank recognised.
“Krunal used to play similar roles for us. So, we know the experience that he brings into an IPL game and he showed that,” MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene praised
his past hero. “For me, that was a special innings in a chase, especially for someone to bat like that through with a very good tempo.”
A cramping Krunal, Glenn Maxwell-like (201* vs Afghanistan in the 2023 ODI World Cup braving the Mumbai humidity) heaving spinners over cow corner for maximums even as he lay on the ground holding his hamstring after each swipe, will form a lasting memory if RCB manage to go all the way.
He had scars to show too. Krunal posted a picture of his bruised torso celebrating his innings and the win on Instagram.
“It was very, very painful,” said Krunal. “I mean, it started from calf, hamstring, glutes and both the legs I was cramping. But again, I was very clear that I’m not going to go out. I’ll fight through that pain and I’ll make sure that whatever I can contribute for the team, I’ll do it.”
Krunal had grit and brain function in unison. The left-hander picked the bowlers to target, as well as the areas. With the Raipur pitch not conducive for stroke play, Krunal stuck to his strengths, scoring 75% of the runs on the on side. He targeted spinner Allah Ghazanfar in particular, whom he repeatedly swung toward the deep midwicket boundary.
“We’ve discussed that if there’s one bowler you fancy and feel you can take down, just play out those six balls properly,” Krunal revealed about his assault against Ghazanfar.
Of late, the 35-year-old has made good use of his all-rounder’s instincts too. With ball in hand, refusing to allow batters the luxury to line up against him, Krunal has developed the bouncer, which sometimes touched 115 kph off his spinner’s run-up. Reinvention is the only way to keep pace with T20’s rapidly flowing state. Krunal knows it better than most.
“I don’t have a fixed batting number. I’ve played from 3 to 8. So, it gets challenging because sometimes you need momentum but at times you don’t bat in 3-4 games and suddenly bat in the fifth game,” said Krunal. “But I feel like, you know, the team has trusted me that KP can do all kinds of things, which is a very good place to be in.”
