Krunal Pandya in Line For Zimbabwe Tour Selection?

By: Sandipan Bose

Not so long ago, the Indian team was looking for an all-rounder who can bowl and hit the ball harder and longer. By the virtue of some crucial knocks last year for the Mumbai Indians, Hardik Pandya was picked in the Indian T20 team for the Australian series earlier this year.

Everyone knew he could tonk the ball at will and generate good pace, but he was a mixed bag with both bat and ball. Hardik is the player who would need more international exposure to become an all-rounder of repute. Perhaps, he may have to wait because his brother Krunal Pandya is in the thick of things right now.

The days before the selectors sit together and pick the team for a short Zimbabwe tour, Hardik’s brother Krunal has emerged as a potential candidate to get selected in the Indian team for the Zimbabwe series.

He is not a medium-pacer like brother Hardik, but he bowls with a plenty of shoulder and mixes his deliveries well. He isn’t a wicket-taking bowler type. He is someone who can contain the flow of runs from the opposition’s bat and can finish his over as quickly as possible.

Krunal is also a good hard hitting batsman too and perhaps more effective than his brother. He could be promoted up the order to destroy the confidence of the opponent bowling attack.

His batting prowess was at display on Sunday night against the Delhi Daredevils. It was an occasion when the Mumbai Indians fans as well as his teammates were up on their feet – rejoicing. They haven’t see something like this before.

Krunal plundered 86 runs from just 37 deliveries that too against a top bowling attack of the Delhi Daredevils. Then with the ball, he took two wickets to bag the man of the match award.

Krunal really deserves to be in the Indian team at some point if he continues to impress like this purely on his form. If Hardik too finds his place in the team, there could another episode of two sibling playing together like it happened before in world cricket!