Krunal Pandya's Counterattacking Helped KL Rahul Get Back In Form: Parthiv Patel

India keeper-batsman Parthiv Patel is amongst the cricketers impressed by Krunal Pandya’s counterattacking knock in the first ODI against England in Pune. Krunal Pandya was amongst the performers significant in India’s 66-run win as the hosts stormed to a 1-0 lead in the three-match rubber. Parthiv Patel stated that Krunal’s whirlwind innings also helped KL Rahul back into form.

Krunal Pandya’s 26-ball 50 was the fastest fifty by an ODI debutant and shared a century stand with KL Rahul to lift India to an imposing 317 in the first innings. The 29-year old slammed seven fours and two sixes in his unbeaten 31-ball knock and later took a wicket. His debut was also emotional as Pandya raised his bat to the heavens after fifty, remembering his late father.

Parthiv Patel underlined that the partnership between Krunal Pandya and KL Rahul showed why cricket is a team game since the former assisted the latter to get back in form. The retired cricketer also said that the coach always asks a debutant to go and express themselves freely, which was visible in Hardik’s reaction and Krunal’s innings. KL Rahul, who endured a horrible T20I series, had the pressure released on himself as his partner took the attack to the opposition.

“The way Krunal Pandya batted helped KL Rahul regain his form. So, this partnership showed why it is a team game. When you make your debut, the coach always says to go out there and express yourself. We saw that in Krunal Pandya and also in Hardik Pandya’s reaction,” Patel told Star Sports.

The timing of Krunal Pandya and KL Rahul’s partnership was most important: Irfan Pathan

On the other hand, Irfan Pathan pointed out that the pair’s partnership timing was crucial since few wickets had fallen then. With Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, and Hardik Pandya perishing quickly, the partnership moved on swiftly. Pathan highlighted that India would have scored 330-340 if the wickets had not fallen and the wobble made it look like the hosts might reach only 300. Hence, the century stand between Rahul and Pandya helped India cross 300.

“The timing of Krunal Pandya and KL Rahul’s partnership was most important. A few wickets had fallen one after the other. Virat Kohli got out, Shikhar Dhawan got out and then Hardik Pandya got out, three wickets had fallen close to each other and after that this partnership came at a fast pace. If the wickets had not fallen in between, we could have expected the score to be 330-340 but when the wickets fell it seemed it may not be 300 also. And it was this partnership which helped cross the 300-run mark,” Pathan conceded.

Also Read: Dinesh Karthik Comes Up With A Heartwarming Post For The Pandya Brothers; Hardik Pandya Reacts