"Will Krunal Pandya Play For India?" Pandya Brothers' Coach Reveals Their Late Father’s Worry

Krunal Pandya made his debut for India in the ODIs against England in the first of the three-match series being played in Pune’s MCA Stadium. He has already played 18 T20Is for India, making his debut in 2018.

His long-time coach Jitendra Singh talked about how the late father of Krunal, had a dream for him to get back in the Indian national team. Krunal batted at no.7 and smashed a 26-ball fifty on his ODI debut, breaking the world record for the fastest half-century by any batsman on debut in ODI cricket.

He finished with 58* in 31 balls with 7 fours and 2 sixes to his name, adding 112* runs for the 6^th wicket with KL Rahul, who made 62* and took India to 317/5 in 50 overs.

’Tell Me Honestly, Will Krunal Play For India? Khelega Yeh?’- Pandya Brothers’ Coach Reveals What Their Father Himanshu Used To Ask Him

Talking about Krunal’s late father’s ambition, his coach revealed how Himanshu Pandya, who passed away in January this year, used to be concerned about Krunal Pandya’s chances of playing for India.

“’Tell me honestly, will Krunal play for India? Khelega yeh?’ is what his father used to ask. Not many know that more than Hardik, it was Krunal that his father Himanshu Bhai dreamt would play for India. I can understand where KP’s emotional reactions came from,” Jitendra Singh said as quoted by the Indian Express.

Financial Troubles Meant Krunal Pandya Was Distressed And Distracted. He Was Young But The Elder Son: Jitendra Singh

Jitendra Singh also talked about how financial troubles that the Pandya family and the brothers faced, which led to Krunal having to take family responsibility and which distracted him for a while and he drifted away from cricket.

“Himanshubhai’s heart attack was the first blow. Then his business went down. The money dried up. One dream he had was about Krunal playing for India. Hardik was still young, then. But the financial troubles meant Krunal was distressed and distracted.

He was young but the elder son. As the years went by, especially during financial troubles, he started to drift. ‘Paisa kahan sey aayega (where will the money come from), how will the household run, should I get a regular job once I grow up? Thoughts like that,” coach Jitendra said.

Krunal Pandya pointed towards the sky when he got his ODI cap from brother Hardik and when he reached his half-century, he dedicated it to his father. He even broke down in tears while talking to the commentators after his knock and had to hug his brother Hardik to calm down.

Also Read: Krunal Pandya’s Counterattacking Helped KL Rahul Get Back In Form: Parthiv Patel