Bio and Date of Birth: Krunal Pandya is an Indian cricket all-rounder hailing from Gujarat’s Baroda. Krunal bats left-handed and bowl slow left-arm orthodox. He is the elder brother of flamboyant India all-rounder Hardik Pandya.
When and Where Was Krunal Pandya born?
Krunal was born on March 24, 1991, to Himanshu Pandya and Nalini Pandya in Gujarat’s Vadodara.
Krunal became the town’s talk a few days back when he scored the fastest half-century by a cricketer on ODI debut while playing against England. When India was searching for spin bowling all-rounder option in Ravindra Jadeja’s presence, Krunal filled in the void pretty well. While he has played just 3 ODI matches, Krunal is a really matured cricketer. IPL is one of the major reasons behind this maturity and experience.
Start of Cricket Career: October 6, 2016, was when Krunal entered the field to play in a competitive cricket match for the first time. He played for Baroda during the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy tournament. Krunal made a name for himself within a few months and became the leading run-scorer and leading wicket-taker for Baroda in 2016-17 Vijay Hazare Trophy. While the opportunity to share the Indian dressing room with his brother Hardik was still away, Krunal featured in India A squad for the 2018–19 Deodhar Trophy. He gradually climbed the ladder of success and was named the captain of Baroda for the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2019-2020.
IPL: Krunal got it big in the IPL as well, as he was purchased by one of the most successful teams, Mumbai Indians, for Rs. 2 crores at the 2016 auction. He played his first match of the league against Gujarat Lions at the Wankhede. In the same year, the game against Delhi Daredevils brought out the best of Krunal as he was adjudged the Man of the Match for his innings of 86 runs from 37 balls and the wickets of Quinton De Kock and Zaheer Khan.
Krunal soon became a regular part of MI, thanks to his consistent performance and a few match-winning performances.
Entry In Team India: 2018 was a lucky year for the senior Pandya. He was named in the T20 squads for tours of West Indies and Australia. He played his first T-20 match against West Indies on November 4, 2018. In that match, he scored 21 runs off 9 balls and took a wicket as well. He also played in all three matches of the T-20 series against Australia. He was adjudged the Man of the Match for his bowling performance of 4/36 in 4 overs.
Three years later, in 2021, Krunal Pandya got the opportunity to express himself in the longer format of the game during England’s India tour. On March 23, 2021, Pandya played his first ODI against England and scored a crucial inning 58 runs from just 26 balls. This was the fastest fifty by a batsman on an ODI debut.
Who is elder between Hardik and Krunal?
Krunal Pandya is the elder brother of star India all-rounder, Hardik Pandya. While Krunal is older than Hardik, it was Hardik who got the India call earlier.
Wife: Krunal is married to model Pankhuri Sharma. The two tied the knot on December 27, 2017, after dating for a long time. Pankhuri has a friendly relation with Hardik, and the three are often clicked together.
What does Krunal Pandya’s wife do?
Krunal’s wife, Pankhuri, is a model who has worked with several brands in the past. Her nickname is Pankhu. While Pankhuri has done many modeling assignments, little or no detail about her work is available after her marriage with the Indian all-rounder.
Death of Father: Krunal and Hardik lost their father, Himanshu Pandya, on January 16, 2021. Himanshu reportedly passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest. Krunal was with the Baroda team for taking part in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy when his father died.
Krunal got really emotional while remembering his father after hitting the fastest half-century on his ODI debut while playing against England. A clip of Krunal bursting into tears while hugging his brother after the match went viral on the internet. He also got emotional during the post-match presentation ceremony.
Controversy: Krunal is known for his aggressive nature on the field, just like his younger brother. He invited controversy after he clashed with cricketer Deepak Hooda earlier this year. Deepak wrote a letter to the Baroda Cricket Association, accusing captain Krunal of using abusive language and threatening to end his career. “I am demoralized, depressed, and under pressure. As from last some days and at least from the last couple of days, my team captain Mr. Krunal Pandiya is using abusive language to me in front of my team-mates and also other states teams who have come for participation at Reliance Stadium Vadodara,” Deepak wrote in his letter.
Several retired cricketers, including Irfan Pathan, slammed Krunal for his behavior.
